Protesters rally, lawmakers brawl as Georgia debates ‘foreign agent’ bill

TBILISI: Thousands of Georgians protested on Monday and lawmakers came to blows as ruling party legislators looked set to advance a bill on “foreign agents” that has been criticised by Western and domestic critics as Russian-inspired.

More than 5,000 protesters massed outside Georgia’s Soviet-built parliament building, demanding the government withdraw the legislation requiring organisations that accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines.

Georgian critics have labelled the bill “the Russian law”, comparing it to similar legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent in Russia.Protesters chanted “Russians! Russians!” at cordons of police securing approaches to the parliament, with water cannon deployed nearby.

“I hope we push hard enough to get this law out of the parliament,” said Tornike, a 24-year-old activist. “But if they don’t do it, I think we have to push hard enough to get rid of this government.”

The ruling Georgian Dream party said this month it would reintroduce the bill, 13 months after it was shelved due to protests. Earlier, Georgian television showed Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the Georgian Dream’s parliamentary faction and a driving force behind the bill, being punched in the face by opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili while speaking from the despatch box.The incident prompted a wider brawl pitting lawmakers against each other, an occasional occurrence in the often raucous parliament.