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A young demonstrator stands in front of police blocking the way to Georgia's parliament building Alamy Stock Photo

Riot police arrest protesters outside Georgian parliament over Russian-like 'foreign influence' law

Politicians came to blows in the parliament over the legislation that opposition members say mirrors Russian laws that silence dissent.

LAST UPDATE | 14 May 2024

RIOT POLICE HAVE been deployed in Georgia to break up major protests after the country’s parliament adopted a controversial “foreign influence” law, arresting at least 13 demonstrators.

The legislation has sparked weeks of mass protests against the measure, denounced as mirroring Russian legislation used to silence dissent.

Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass the law despite ongoing street protests outside the building and warnings from the EU that the move would undermine Georgia’s long-standing desire to join the bloc.

Altercations erupted between opposition and ruling party MPs, while outside, large numbers of demonstrators gathered in growing numbers for another day of protests against the bill.

Some protesters broke through steel barricades outside the parliament building in the capital.

Georgia’s interior ministry said 13 demonstrators were arrested for “disobeying police orders”.

The wife of prominent opposition activist David Katsarava said he was badly beaten by riot police after he was detained at the protest.

Tbilisi has seen three straight nights of mass rallies over the bill, which mirrors repressive laws introduced in Russia and has been condemned by the European Union and the United States.

Tens of thousands of people have protested in the country, a former Soviet republic, since the Georgian Dream party reintroduced the draft law over a month ago.

It replaces an earlier version that the government scrapped last year in the face of mass protests.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said this week that his government would push the bill through in a third and final reading today despite the rising tensions.

During a heated debate, ruling party and opposition lawmakers scuffled and traded blows, footage aired by Georgia’s public broadcaster showed.

“I hope there will be peace here,” 20-year-old Marta Doborianidze, one of the protesters, said.

Some protesters say their ultimate goal is to vote out Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012.

“We are waiting for when we will have a choice to choose a new government,” said 27-year-old hotel manager Peter, who declined to give his last name over fears for his security.

“These people in there don’t listen to us at all,” said teacher Mariam Javakhishvili, standing outside parliament with her son.

The 34-year-old said the ruling party lawmakers were undoing progress made since the collapse of the Soviet Union, adding: “I don’t want to let that happen for my kids.”

“I’m worried about police violence but I’m not scared of it.”

International condemnation

The move by the Georgia government has sparked a significant international response. 

The European Union warned Georgia earlier today that passing the law would hamper its bid to become a member state.

US Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on Georgia’s president to veto the law, adding that if it takes effect “it will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia”.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told AFP that he would be travelling to Georgia today together with his counterparts from Iceland, Estonia and Latvia to express “our concerns”.

UK Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps, labelled the foreign influence law an act of “Russian interference in Georgia”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov hit back, accusing the West of “undisguised interference in Georgia’s internal affairs”.

© AFP 2024 

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    May 14th 2024, 2:13 PM

    If I’m not mistaken this same law is currently in the US

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    Mute Bobby Digital
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    May 14th 2024, 3:33 PM

    @Washpenrebel: are you aware that’s the fascist Russian’s number one talking point on this topic?

    https://civil.ge/archives/591175

    26
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    May 14th 2024, 7:26 PM

    @Washpenrebel: The same law is what russia has used to shut down all independent journalism.

    Which is not the case in the US.

    So, no.

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    May 14th 2024, 8:50 PM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: if I’m not mistaken, if you work in the United States and you take money from foreign governments you have to register with THE US government as a foreign agent. It’s the same in the UK. It’s a safeguard for the government to weed out bad actors. That is what this law is being created in Georgia to do. There’s nothing wrong with that. What your implying is a double standard. The US/UK can do it but no one else.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    May 14th 2024, 9:47 PM

    @Washpenrebel: Go and read Bobby Digitals link above, by someone who actually lives there, and see the difference between this bill and what they have in the US. There IS a lot wrong with it.

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    May 14th 2024, 11:11 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: so if the US or the EU or the Chinese are funding politicians or political think-tanks or NGO’s in Georgia. Why do you think they shouldn’t register as a foreign agent? It’s essentially outside interference in the state. Georgia should be ruled and governed by Georgians. Policy should not be determined by political groups receiving funding from outside the county. That isn’t democracy. If Russians are funding anyone they also should register as foreign agents. I don’t see the problem here. If there was such a law in Ireland. Again I don’t see a problem. Ireland should be run for the irish by the irish free from external influence.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    May 15th 2024, 7:29 AM

    @Washpenrebel: That is the spin russian propagandists have been told to use about this law.

    The reality is that this very same law was used in russia to eradicate any that did not follow Putin’s spin.
    That did not happen in the US.
    Or the UK.

    So, no, these are NOT the same.

    Despite russian propaganda to that effect.

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    Mute Washpenrebel
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    May 15th 2024, 8:59 AM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: so in what way is the new law different to the US implementation?

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    May 15th 2024, 11:17 AM

    @Washpenrebel: Is there any surviving russian media that does not toe the Putin line?

    Is there any US media that is critical of US government policy?

    Those russian laws were used to shut down anything other than pro Putin propaganda.

    Spin it how you will.

    5
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    Mute Paddy Short
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    May 14th 2024, 5:52 PM

    None of the mainstream “news” outlets covering the vote today on the EU Migration Pact.

    https://twitter.com/hashtag/EUMigrationPact

    If you oppose this terrible plan then you need to contact all TD’s and Senators before it’s too late, there will be no going back.

    122
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    Mute Ian
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    May 14th 2024, 7:45 PM

    @Paddy Short: aw are you all fired up because brown people might come here?

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    Mute Thomas Devlin
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    May 15th 2024, 8:44 AM

    @Paddy Short: And our td,s will do what exactly?

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    May 14th 2024, 4:14 PM

    Democracy is great. You elect a government to do what you want done. After they’re elected they do what they want done!

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    May 14th 2024, 5:10 PM

    @Padraig O’Brien: Or what putin wants done.

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    Mute Denis Harkin
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    May 14th 2024, 3:15 PM

    The days of CIA infiltration in Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, to mention just a few, are well and truly over, thank the Almighty.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    May 14th 2024, 7:27 PM

    @Denis Harkin: So we’re just left with the russians?

    Who are trying to suppress opposition to their tyranny everywhere.

    44
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    Mute Ian
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    May 14th 2024, 7:44 PM

    @Denis Harkin: ah Denis ye sap. We’re you always a supporter of tyranny? Not a working braincell in that septic little mind of yours.

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    Mute Meh Meh
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    May 14th 2024, 3:57 PM

    A whole story, multiple repeated paragraphs, with a few words changed. Much the way a schoolkid writes an essay trying to make it as long as possible. Yet, nowhere anywhere does it even slightly explain what the contentious bill is. Classic “The Journal” dire reporting. Now I have to go to RTE news to read what the actual news story is, and I hate having to read RTE news. Thanks.

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    Mute RIP
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    May 14th 2024, 2:06 PM

    This Stinks of Putin

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    May 14th 2024, 4:56 PM

    @RIP: Ukraine 2013/14 all over again. The evil tentacles of putins fascism

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    Mute Richard Barrett
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    May 14th 2024, 8:28 PM

    This seems to be a contest between Moscow proxies and Brussels proxies. On the face of it, I cannot see much wrong with the foreign influence law It may undermine attempts by EU, US and other outside actors to pump huge sums of money to swing elections in Georgia in favour of their clients, which explains why these not-quite spontaneous demonstrations have erupted.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    May 14th 2024, 9:41 PM

    @Richard Barrett: No, nothing to do with Brussels proxies. This is a protest by the people of Georgia who voted, for what they thought was a pro EU party. But now stabbed in the back. The only proxies I see here is putin and his regime.

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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    May 14th 2024, 7:18 PM

    I wonder how many countries have laws that prohibit foreign governments sponsoring internal elections?

    20% presents go a long way in financing an election.

    One also has to wonder why countries would freely just send money to sponsor a political party in an election and expect nothing in return.

    46
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    May 14th 2024, 7:30 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: Ever wonder how and why there is no free independent russian media anymore?

    This self-same law was implemented there.

    Implemented and used to shut it all down.

    32
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