Georgian protesters prepared to stage a late-evening rally Sunday, vowing not to give up their fight against the ruling party’s Russian-styled “foreign agent” bill, a day after a massive protest in Tbilisi.
Demonstrations have gripped the tiny Caucasus country for weeks over the bill, dubbed the “Russian law” as it mirrors repressive legislation used by the Kremlin to silence critics.
Powerful billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream party have said NGOs are a threat to Georgian sovereignty, accusing them of plotting a revolution and working on behalf of foreign governments.
In a shock move in early April, Georgian Dream brought back the bill a year after a huge backlash forced authorities to drop it.
It requires NGOs receiving at least 20 percent of foreign funding — encompassing virtually all of the sector — to register as agents of “foreign influence.”
Protesters say the bill proves the government is derailing Georgia’s long-held ambition of joining the EU, supported by the vast majority of the population.
They accuse the government of bringing the country back into Moscow’s fold.
The protests, led mostly by students and Gen Zs, are heavy in anti-Kremlin rhetoric, with thousands carrying EU and Georgian flags.
As tens of thousands descended onto Tbilisi’s Europe Square on Saturday evening, speakers called on them to also gather at 10 p.m the next day outside parliament.
Ruling party MPs are aiming to vote the bill through on third reading this week.
The stand-off over the bill has created one of the most unpredictable and tense political moments in Georgia in recent years.
Stand-off
Neither the protesters or the government appear ready to back down, with tensions running high.
“I think they are doing their maximum right now and people will do their maximum too,” 21-year-old student Anri Papidze told AFP at the Saturday protest.
“I am ready to fight until victory.”
Authorities also look intent on passing the bill through, with officials in recent days making scathing statements against protesters on social media.
Leading NGO activists have over recent days reported being harassed by unknown people, with some having their homes and office plastered in posters that read “foreign agent.”
Saturday’s protest was peaceful, with rock music blasting out from a stage, but police had violently dispersed protesters in late April.
Many expect a crackdown if protesters try to stay outside parliament at night.
Georgian Dream has portrayed the bill as being about “transparency” — saying it is merely an administrative issue.
But the NGO sector, the opposition and protesters say the government’s true aims are about control and getting rid of critical voices.
They also say the bill is timed to prepare ground for an autumnal election.
