According to Agence France-Presse, which followed the protests, the number of demonstrators decreased compared to previous nights, when tens of thousands took to the streets.
Police dispersed Wednesday’s demonstration using tear gas and rubber bullets.
Today, demonstrators gathered in front of the Paragraph Hotel, owned by oligarch and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, where the Asian Development Bank Forum is being held with the participation of members of the Georgian government.
The demonstrators then headed to the headquarters of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
At the protests, demonstrators chanted, “We will not tire!” and “Georgia will win!” And “No to the Russian government!”, while accusing the Georgian Dream and its ministers of working for Moscow’s benefit.
The legislation that sparked the protest movement was inspired by a law the Kremlin has used for years to suppress dissenting voices.
Demonstrator Data Nadraya, a 24-year-old student in Tbilisi, told AFP: “We are going to the headquarters of the Georgian Dream to ask them to release the young people who were arrested in recent days and abandon Russian law.”
Police arrested one person today and 23 others the day before, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The draft “foreign influence” law, also known as the Foreign Agents Law, which was approved on Wednesday on second reading by Parliament, stipulates that any NGO or media organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad must register as an “organization.” . An organization that follows the interests of a foreign power.”
This text was criticized by the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union, which Georgia aspires to join.
The government, in turn, claims that this measure aims to force organizations to show greater transparency regarding their financing.
The first version of the text was abandoned last year after widespread street protests.
William Shakespeare is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, history, and current affairs. With a keen eye for storytelling and analysis, he produces informative articles that help readers understand the people, ideas, and events influencing modern life.
