Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday in Georgia, in Tbilisi, against a controversial bill targeting the media and NGOs. Flags of Georgia and the European Union were waved by the demonstrators, gathered in front of the national Parliament.
Georgian police used tear gas to try to disperse protesters after ordering them to leave, an AFP journalist said. Moments earlier, law enforcement had used water cannons to try to scare off the crowd.
On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted “democratic success” for protesters in Georgia. “There is not a Ukrainian who does not wish success to our friend Georgia. Democratic success. European success,” he said in his daily address. “All the free nations of Europe deserve” to be part of the European Union, he supported, while kyiv and Tbilisi aspire to join the EU. The United States also called on Tbilisi to respect “peaceful protests”
Sixty people arrested on Tuesday
On Tuesday, the police arrested at least 66 people during demonstrations in the capital, against a controversial law targeting the media and NGOs, the authorities of this Caucasus country said on Wednesday. In a statement, the Georgian Interior Ministry added that “nearly 50 police officers” were injured during the protests.
The contested law provides that organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad should register as “foreign agents”, or face fines.
“It runs counter to Georgia’s declared objective of joining the European Union (and) could have serious repercussions on our relations,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. , Tuesday evening.