{"id":358009,"date":"2024-05-02T14:53:22","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T12:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2024\/05\/02\/georgia-violenza-polizia-proteste-pro-ue\/"},"modified":"2024-05-17T12:34:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T10:34:48","slug":"in-georgia-police-began-using-violence-against-peaceful-pro-eu-protesters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2024\/05\/02\/in-georgia-police-began-using-violence-against-peaceful-pro-eu-protesters\/","title":{"rendered":"In Georgia, police began using violence against peaceful pro-EU protesters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels – The confrontation in Georgia is no longer\u00a0just political or even just peaceful. Police have started\u00a0using violence against peaceful protesters<\/strong>\u00a0to try to break up the mass street protests, which have been\u00a0daily\u00a0for almost a month, in Tbilisi <\/strong>against the pro-Russian-inspired transparency of foreign influence bill. After the criticisms from all EU institutions<\/a>, at every level, against the ruling Georgian Dream party’s trademark, even the European Commission’s number one, Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong>, has come out unequivocally: “I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and I condemn the violence in the streets of Tbilisi,” she said in a statement,<\/a> urging the government to heed\u00a0the “clear message” of the citizens who are “demonstrating their strong attachment to democracy.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Georgian police arrests during demonstrations in Tbilisi against the ‘transparency of foreign influence’ law, April 30, 2024 (credits: Giorgi Arjevanidze \/ Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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Sparking tensions in Tbilisi and Brussels is the controversial draft law on ‘transparency of foreign influence’<\/strong> wanted as early as last year by the ruling Georgian Dream party and stalled after the mass wave of protests of March 2023. With a slight amendment to the text in early April, the government resubmitted the law<\/a>: all organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad would have to register as an ‘organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power’<\/strong> (similar to ‘agent of foreign influence’ in effect in Russia since Dec. 1, 2022). For weeks<\/a>, tensions have been extremely high inside and outside the Tbilisi parliament, where the draft\u00a0had already been approved<\/a>\u00a0in the first and second readings. The final vote is on May 17<\/strong>. No surprises are expected from Georgian lawmakers, but another wave of tension will be inevitable. The draft law will be sent to the President of the Republic, Salom\u00e9 Nino Zourabichvili<\/strong>, who has already announced that she will veto it, but Georgian Dream will be able to use its overwhelming majority in Parliament to override the veto and make the ‘transparency of foreign influence’ bill\u00a0<\/strong>become law.<\/p>\n

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\"Georgia<\/a>
Georgian demonstrators in Tbilisi against the ‘transparency of\u00a0foreign influence’ law, April 17, 2024 (credits: Giorgi Arjevanidze \/ Afp)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

For days,\u00a0tens of thousands of citizens <\/strong>have attended spontaneous demonstrations organized by united oppositions and civil society organizations\u00a0to reiterate opposition to draft legislation that would undermine Georgia’s path to membership in the European Union, despite the Candidate country status<\/a> received on December 14, 2023, from the European Council. “The European Union has also clearly expressed its concerns regarding the law on foreign influence,” von der Leyen noted, warning in a\u00a0not-so-veiled manner, “Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe<\/strong>.” And if the Georgian people “want a European future for their country,” the government of Irakli Kobakhidze<\/strong> will have to “take swift action on the measures they have committed to take as a candidate country.”\u00a0By now, it is no secret in Brussels that the entry into force of the pro-Russian-inspired law would prevent the opening of EU accession negotiations<\/strong>. “If our partners are able to read and understand carefully, they will be able to recognize the message sent publicly and directly,” European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesman Peter Stano<\/strong> <\/strong>explained to the press today (May 2).<\/p>\n

The concern now, however, is how Georgian institutions are responding to tens of thousands of people who show no signs of fatigue in taking to the streets every day to demonstrate their opposition to the pro-Russian bill. Particularly after the bill passed its second reading with 83 votes in favor and 23 against in Parliament on Tuesday (April 30). On the same evening, for the first time since March 2023, riot police disrupted peaceful protests on Rustaveli Avenue (where Parliament is located)<\/strong> <\/strong>using tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons, truncheoning and arresting more than 60 people. “Georgia is an EU candidate country. I call on its authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly. Use of force to suppress it is unacceptable,” <\/strong>High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell\u00a0said<\/a>.
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