{"id":353776,"date":"2024-04-16T18:10:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T16:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2024\/04\/16\/georgia-manifestazione-pro-ue-governo\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T19:47:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:47:22","slug":"new-pro-european-mass-demonstrations-in-georgia-against-foreign-agents-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2024\/04\/16\/new-pro-european-mass-demonstrations-in-georgia-against-foreign-agents-law\/","title":{"rendered":"New pro-European mass demonstrations in Georgia against foreign agents law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels \u2013\u00a0Georgian citizens are not letting up, and, not even a week after getting back to the streets <\/a>in the capital, Tbilisi, the protest expanded to more than ten thousand demonstrators opposing the controversial “foreign influence transparency” bill <\/strong>before the return to the polls next October 26. Those staged last night (April 15) bear a strong resemblance to the March 7-8, 2023, demonstrations, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, particularly in terms of the same pro-European spirit and the same claims of opposition to a law disturbingly reminiscent of the one in force in dreaded neighbouring Russia<\/strong>. So much so as to provoke the stern warning<\/a> of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel<\/strong>, to the government in Tbilisi: “Let me be clear, the draft law on transparency of foreign influence is not consistent with Georgia’s aspiration to the EU and its accession trajectory and will bring Georgia further away from the EU and not closer<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

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Georgian protesters in Tbilisi against the “foreign influence transparency” law, April 9, 2024 (credits: Vano Shlamov \/ Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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On the very day when clashes were staged during the parliamentary debate on the issue\u2014with a punch<\/a> blown by an opposition deputy to the law’s co-author for the ruling Georgian Dream party\u2014thousands of pro-EU demonstrators once again enlivened the protests on Rustaveli Avenue<\/strong> (overlooked by the Parliament building) with Georgia and European Union flags and chanting “No to the Russian law” choruses. With a post<\/a> on X, the President of the Republic, Salom\u00e9 Nino Zourabichvili<\/strong>, claimed that “Georgia will not give in to re-Sovietization<\/strong>” and denounced that “the Georgian Dream majority expelled all opposition deputies” when the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee adopted the law. From Brussels came hopeful comments toward the new wave of popular demonstrations in Tbilisi, such as that of Italia Viva MEP and Vice-President of the Renew Europe group, Nicola Danti<\/strong>, who on X wanted to remember<\/a> that “Europe, with all its limitations, is still able to be a beacon of freedom for all<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0Just over a month ago, Georgia’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze<\/strong>, had guaranteed<\/a> the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell<\/strong>, that “by 2030 Georgia will be ready more than any other candidate country for membership.” But the very EU candidate country status <\/a>granted on December 14 last year by the European Council is contingent on progress on EU Commission recommendations<\/a> on civil society freedom and combating disinformation. Despite this April 3, the Georgian Dream leadership (now led by ex-premier Irakli Garibashvili<\/strong>, who since February 8 has swapped roles with Kobakhidze) re-proposed the contested law again after amending only one passage: all organisations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad will have to register as an “organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power”<\/strong> and not as an “agent of foreign influence”.<\/p>\n

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Georgian protesters in Tbilisi against the “foreign influence transparency” law, April 15, 2024 (credits: Vano Shlamov \/ Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

For pro-democracy opposition groups in the country, the substance is unchanged from a year ago, and they still fear an alignment with what has been in effect in Russia since December 1, 2022<\/strong>. It is no coincidence that on April 4 from Brussels came the condemnation of EU institutions <\/a>to the government’s plan and the implicit endorsement of the new street protests, which punctually resumed between April 8 and 9. What we are seeing in Tbilisi is a new contrast between the pro-European population and the government, which, in words, calls itself pro-EU but at the same time pushes for liberticidal legislative projects not aligned with the values of the Union. A repeat of the events from a year ago when, after the first reading of the law was passed by Parliament, tens of thousands of Georgian citizens had taken to the streets<\/strong> with the flags of Georgia and the European Union<\/strong>, shouting slogans such as Fuck Russian law<\/em> and papering the city with insults to Putin. After two days of uninterrupted protests, the Georgian Dream party had withdrawn the bill without disavowing its initiative, as events in recent days show.<\/p>\n