Georgia is at a crossroads: Russia or EU – in 4 points Did Sharon Stone lose custody of her child because of the “Basic Instinct” scene?

Georgia was once part of the Soviet Union. Today it wants to be part of the EU. But while Georgia appears intent on moving away from its northern neighbor, Russia’s spirit swept through parliament on Tuesday in the form of a bill. And that comes as no surprise.

Thousands of Georgians took to the streets: “No Russian dictatorship!” And even the president stood by the crowd and their concerns – as the protesters were dispersed by water cannons.

What’s going on in the state of 3.7 million people?

The law and “foreign agents”

The bill, which is currently causing so much unrest in the Eastern European country, prescribes that organizations that are financed for more than 20 percent with money from abroad must be registered as so-called ‘foreign agents’. Otherwise, they risk sanctions. The law should create transparency, the government believes.

Deliberations on the law have been going on for days. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a member of parliament from the government party allegedly punched an opposition member in the face during a scuffle during the debate.

The law would mainly affect organizations that are committed to a Western-oriented country or the fight against corruption, but also organizations that are committed to, for example, socially disadvantaged families. Nevertheless, the parliament in Tbilisi approved the bill in first reading on Tuesday. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili acknowledged this, saying:

And it is not the first attack on government critics in recent days. More and more posters appear in Tbilisi denouncing well-known civil society activists as “spies slandering the Church”.

The whole thing is reminiscent of a law that was passed in Russia in 2012. As a result, the media and organizations critical of the government in particular were systematically declared “foreign agents” and were harassed, suppressed or forced to flee abroad.

The demonstrations

While the parliamentarians were still debating, Georgians gathered in front of the parliament building in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. They waved EU flags, Georgian flags and partly Ukrainian flags. And they sang:

The protests were largely peaceful. Nevertheless, the police tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons and tear gas. The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” writes of an eyewitness who reports several waves of attacks by the security forces against the demonstrators – “there were no demonstrators on the boulevard until well after midnight”.

Around 11 p.m., the demonstrators allegedly tried to enter the parliament building. They have at least torn down the fence, as state-affiliated Belarusian agency Nexta was the first to report. Molotov cocktails are said to have been thrown at the police.

New protests have been announced for Wednesday.

The current protests in Georgia are sometimes compared on social media to the Euromaidan in Ukraine around the turn of the year 2013/14. At that time, the Ukrainians demanded the impeachment of then-President Viktor Yanukovych and early presidential elections. In addition, the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU was demanded. This regulates national and socio-political goals such as measures to curb corruption or environmental protection.

At the Euromaidan protests, the Russian government propagated the view that the Euromaidan movement was a coup “funded and orchestrated” by the West and especially the United States. Pro-Russian politicians, media and bloggers are now promoting the same story at the protests in Georgia.

Accession to the EU and the Georgian dream

One thing is clear: if the law enters into force, it would hinder Georgia’s further rapprochement with the EU and NATO.

Georgia applied for EU membership just days after the Russian attack on Ukraine. However, Georgia was initially denied official candidate status because the EU is still demanding a series of reforms – leading to large-scale protests in Georgia. Georgia also wants to become a NATO member.

Both EU and NATO accession are enshrined in Georgia’s constitution. According to opinion polls, at least 80 percent of the population supports these projects. However, several recent government moves have fueled fears that the country might turn to Russia instead of the West.

The governing party, the Georgian Dream, is fueling anti-Western outrage. Some Georgian Dream MPs founded a new party at the end of last year: People’s Power. Their program is open hostility to the US and EU. They were also the ones who introduced the controversial “foreign agents” bill in February.

In a statement, the US embassy in Georgia called it a “dark day for Georgian democracy”. And according to Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, “This law is not compatible with EU values.”

The veto

While Georgian police were taking action against the demonstrators, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili reported from New York, where she was on a state visit. She addressed the protesters directly:

The president even announced her veto of the text of the law.

But in practice the veto probably makes little sense, because the ruling Georgian Dream party has an absolute majority in parliament – and can therefore override the veto.

Should that happen, it would be yet another sign that the president and the ruling party are on the verge of splitting. Although independent, Zurabishvili is supported by the Georgian dream. However, since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the president has increasingly spoken out against Russia and is increasingly in favor of Georgia’s western orientation.

And she also takes a firm stand on the law that is so shocking in her country: