Georgian police disperse protesters as parliament approves 'foreign bill' second reading

Georgia's parliament on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has been criticised as Kremlin-inspired, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear a large crowd of protesters opposed to the draft law.

Georgia's parliament on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has been criticised as Kremlin-inspired, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear a large crowd of protesters opposed to the draft law. The bill, which would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, has sparked a rolling political crisis in the South Caucasus country.

Ever-growing protests have been taking to the street nightly for almost a month, with a heaving crowd tens of thousands strong shutting down central Tbilisi on Wednesday, the largest anti-government demonstration yet. Georgian media cited the country's Orthodox Church, one of its most respected institutions, as calling for the government and protesters to hold talks to peacefully resolve what it called a "political crisis".

Protester Sergi Kapanadze told Reuters that for him the protest movement amounted to a struggle for Georgia's national survival. "What are we afraid of more?" he told Reuters. "Being gassed, being beaten up, or losing the country?"

Georgian critics have dubbed the bill "the Russian law", saying it is inspired by laws used to suppress dissent in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Russia is unpopular among many in Georgia, which lost a brief war with Moscow in 2008. Both the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the violence. The EU gave Georgia candidate member status in December but has said the bill could halt its integration into the bloc.

Police cleared the crowd by the parliament building using tear gas and stun grenades fired from within the fortress-like complex. Water cannon were also deployed. Protesters regrouped, with some lighting a bonfire outside parliament, and others attempting to build makeshift barricades to block key roads. A Reuters eyewitness saw at least one man carried away from the action, his face bloodied.

RULING PARTY VS. COALITION OF OPPONENTS The protests have pitched the ruling Georgian Dream party against a coalition of opposition parties, civil society groups, celebrities and the country's figurehead president, all of whom oppose the bill.

Parliament, controlled by Georgian Dream and its allies, voted along party lines to advance the legislation, prompting a wave of boos from thousands of protesters outside. The bill must pass one more vote in parliament before becoming law. Violence on Wednesday followed a similar crack down the day before, when 63 people were arrested and six police officers injured, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said.

Wednesday's parliamentary debate was tense, with opposition members expelled and scuffles between legislators, a not uncommon occurrence in Georgia's often-rowdy parliament. One pro-government deputy was seen throwing a book at opposition legislators, while others shouted and physically confronted opponents.

Levan Khabeishvili, leader of the United National Movement party, Georgia's largest opposition bloc, spoke in parliament on Wednesday with his face heavily bandaged. His party said he was beaten by police at the previous day's protest, leaving him with concussion, broken facial bones, and missing four teeth. Supporters of the bill, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and former prime minister, say the foreign agent law would bolster national sovereignty amid what he said were Western attempts to lead Georgia into a confrontation with Russia.

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