More violence at protests in Georgia

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According to eyewitnesses, the pro-European demonstrators surrounded the parliament of the South Caucasus in Tbilisi. Some tried to enter the building. Just like the night before, the police used tear gas and water cannons, Georgian television stations showed. According to media reports, Parliament Speaker Schalva Papuashvili called on the protesters to remain peaceful. According to the Georgia Today newspaper, there were again several arrests.

The protest was sparked by a controversial bill: Like Russia, the Georgian leadership wants to classify media and non-governmental organizations that receive money from abroad as foreign agents.

According to US State Department spokesman Ned Price, the “Kremlin-inspired” draft bill “is not compatible with the clear aspiration of the Georgian people for European integration and democratic development”. Implementing the plans would damage Georgia’s relationship with its strategic partners and call into question the country’s “Euro-Atlantic future,” Price said in Washington on Wednesday (local time).

According to observers, between 10,000 and 15,000 people had gathered peacefully in parliament early Wednesday evening. A reporter from the German news agency reported that there were more than Tuesday. According to official information, police in the Republic of South Caucasus arrested 66 protesters during the protests the day before.

Also on Wednesday, protesters waved Georgian and Ukrainian flags and the blue star flag of the EU. Georgians also sang the Ukrainian national anthem in solidarity with Russia-attacked Ukraine. During the later street fighting, the police pushed away the remaining protesters, who in turn threw stones and bottles.

Freedom House human rights activists have raised the alarm about the violence in Tbilisi. “The fundamental right to peaceful gatherings must be protected against Molotov cocktails, tear gas and water cannons,” the non-governmental organization demanded on Twitter. She urged the Georgian government to reconsider the controversial bill.

The small ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia on the Black Sea with 3.7 million inhabitants has been under pressure from its large neighbor Russia for some time now. Moscow also supports the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The current leadership of the Georgian Dream Party is following a more pro-Russian course. However, the majority of Georgians want their country to join the EU and NATO. They fear that this opportunity will be destroyed by authoritarian rules such as those in Moscow. President Salome Zurabishvili has supported the protesters and announced that she will not sign the controversial cops bill.

(SDA)

Source: Blick