Georgia: Protesters Rally Against 'Foreign Influence' Bill

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Facts

• Thousands of demonstrators protested outside the Georgian parliament on Wednesday as it passed the 'foreign influence' bill in its second reading.¹
• Though it will require a third vote to become law, the second plenary vote — approved with a vote of 83 to 23 — has cleared the way for the legislation to be passed in the coming weeks.²
• The bill stipulates that media and non-commercial organizations receiving more than 20% funding from abroad must register as 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power.'³
• Police reportedly used pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannon and beat and detained numerous people waving Georgian and EU flags while trying to block the side entrance to parliament.⁴
• European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen condemned the police action against the protesters, urging the country to 'stay the course on the road to Europe.' EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, called the use of force 'unacceptable.'⁵
• Meanwhile, the leader of the pro-NATO and pro-EU United National Movement party, Levan Khabeishvili, claimed he was kidnapped and beaten by security forces for opposing the draft legislation.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²POLITICO, ³Associated Press, ⁴France 24, ⁵euractiv.com and ⁶The Telegraph.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by RBC. The crackdown on the ongoing protests proves that the government doesn't promote democracy but fears it. After abandoning the bill inspired by Russia's repressive legislation following last year's massive protests, the government is now aiming to reintroduce it under a new label. The protests are comparable to the Maidan in Kyiv a decade ago — resistance needs to continue against the bill that will become a repression tool and bury Georgia's EU hopes.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Военное обозрение. Protests are a basic democratic right, but in Georgia's case, they are directed and fueled from abroad. The West fears the law — the more liberal variant of a similar 1938 US law — as it leverages its non-governmental organizations to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. The West is seeking to create a Maidan moment in Georgia by employing established tactics to regime-change the democratically elected but disobedient government. Hopefully, Georgians will not fall into this trap.

Predictions