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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lili Bayer

Georgian police fire teargas as huge ‘foreign agents’ bill protests rock Tbilisi – as it happened

Georgia Police Tbilisi United States Gabrielius Landsbergis Jim OBrien Kremlin

We are now closing this blog but you can read all our European news coverage here.

Summary of the day

  • Georgian security forces used water cannon, teargas and stun grenades against protesters outside parliament overnight, sharply escalating a crackdown after lawmakers debated a “foreign agents” bill that is viewed by the opposition and western nations as authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

  • 63 people were detained in Georgia during a protest against the ‘foreign agents’ bill and six police officers were injured, Georgia’s interior ministry said.

  • Transparency International Georgia called for an investigation into police conduct during last night’s protests.

  • The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association said that “peaceful protest is a mechanism for promoting democratic processes in the hands of citizens, and any attempt to suppress it is an anti-constitutional act.”

  • Georgia’s ombudsman visited detainees and injured opposition figures.

  • The leader of Georgia’s main opposition party, Levan Khabeishvili, wrote that “if my beating prevented that of another, young activist, I’m only happy it happened to me This country belongs to the passionate next generation, whom I follow till the end.”

  • The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said today that he “strongly” condemns violence against protesters and said use of force is “unacceptable.”

  • Borrell also said “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.”

  • The Swedish foreign ministry said “use of force to suppress peaceful demonstrations is unacceptable. The EU and Sweden are closely following and evaluating the events in Georgia.”

  • Michael Roth, chairman of the German Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, called on Georgia’s leadership to stop the violence and withdraw the foreign agents bill.

  • Peter Fischer, the German ambassador to Georgia, has raised concern about “violence and personal injuries” in the Tbilisi protests.

  • German Green member of the European parliament Viola von Cramon called for “concrete consequences.”

  • “I am heartbroken to hear Ivanishvili’s vision for Georgia’s future,” said Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister.

  • David McAllister, the chair of the European parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the “brutal crackdown” underlines “the very concerning direction the Georgian government has taken with regard to democratic freedoms.”

The centre-right European People’s party condemned violence against opposition figures in Georgia. “The people of Georgia deserve democracy and Europe!” the party said.

The Swedish foreign ministry said “use of force to suppress peaceful demonstrations is unacceptable. The EU and Sweden are closely following and evaluating the events in Georgia.”

Protests are expected to resume in Tbilisi this afternoon.

Meanwhile away from Tblisi, Associated Press are reporting that Warsaw’s main synagogue was attacked overnight with firebombs.

Poland’s political leaders strongly denounced the arson attack which caused minimal damage. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda wrote on X that he condemned “the shameful attack”. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski noted that the incident fell on the 20th anniversary of Poland joining the European Union along with nine other countries.

Most of the new EU members were countries that had been under the Soviet sphere of influence for decades. He suggested it could be a Russian operation.

Why did these protests start? How are civil society and western officials responding to the crackdown in Georgia? And where does the country go from here? Read our explainer to get the answers.

EU condemns Georgia’s crackdown on protesters opposing ‘foreign agents’ bill

Western politicians and diplomats have called for a halt to escalating violence in Georgia, after security forces used water cannon, teargas, stun grenades and rubber bullets overnight to break up a peaceful rally against a “foreign influence” bill.

The EU, which has granted Georgia candidate status, on Wednesday “strongly condemned” the violence and called on the government to respect the right of peaceful assembly. “Use of force to suppress it is unacceptable,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on X.

Police detained 63 protesters in the capital, Tbilisi, and six officers were injured, the country’s interior ministry said, as authorities sharply escalated their crackdown on the three-week-old protest movement on Tuesday night.

Georgia’s opposition parties, the EU and the US have all criticised the bill, which would force NGOs, civil rights groups and media to register as “foreign agents” if more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad. They say it is authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

Tuesday’s rally continued well past midnight, with about 2,000 people blocking traffic outside parliament on Tbilisi’s main avenue and other key roads, braving masked riot police who attacked protesters with rubber batons.

Read the full story here.

'This country belongs to the passionate next generation,' opposition leader says

The leader of Georgia’s main opposition party, Levan Khabeishvili, has written that “if my beating prevented that of another, young activist, I’m only happy it happened to me This country belongs to the passionate next generation, whom I follow till the end.”

Updated

Meanwhile, Gert Jan Koopman, head of the European Commission’s directorate-General for neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations, has arrived in Georgia.

“Georgians worked hard to get candidate status. Current challenges need to be tackled and we are here to help to address them,” he said.

David McAllister, the chair of the European parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the “brutal crackdown” underlines “the very concerning direction the Georgian government has taken with regard to democratic freedoms.”

“This law has the potential to seriously derail Georgia’s path towards EU membership,” he warned, referring to the controversial ‘foreign agent’ bill. “It is incompatible with our European values.”

McAllister added: “We stand with the people of Georgia and support their calls for freedom, democracy and consequently a future on the path of European integration.”

Georgia’s ombudsman has visited detainees and injured opposition figures.

'The violence should stop', German ambassador says

Peter Fischer, the German ambassador to Georgia, has raised concern about “violence and personal injuries” in the Tbilisi protests.

“The violence should stop. It is never a solution,” he said, adding that Germany and the European Union “are following and evaluating these events closely.”

German Green member of the European parliament Viola von Cramon has called for “concrete consequences.”

“The Georgian people cannot and will not be silenced!” wrote the country’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, whose role is primarily ceremonial.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgia’s ruling party, deepened concerns about the country’s future when he gave a speech earlier this week lashing out at the west and defending the highly controversial foreign agents bill that has fuelled protests.

“Despite the promise made at the Bucharest Summit in 2008, Georgia and Ukraine were not allowed to join NATO and were left outside. All such decisions are made by the Global War Party, which has a decisive influence on NATO and the European Union and which only sees Georgia and Ukraine as cannon fodder,” Ivanishvili said.

“Non-transparent funding of NGOs is the main tool with which you can appoint the authorities of Georgia from abroad,” he said in the speech, which critics have described as conspiratorial.

“Radicalism, so-called polarisation, and periodic political upheavals, which have cost our country and its economy dearly over the years, were induced from outside in a completely artificial manner,” he said.

Michael Roth, chairman of the German Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, has called on Georgia’s leadership to stop the violence and withdraw the foreign agents bill.

EU foreign policy chief 'strongly' condemns violence in Georgia

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said today that he “strongly” condemns violence against protesters and said use of force is “unacceptable.”

“I strongly condemn the violence against protesters in Georgia who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence,” he said.

“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,” he added.

In a statement, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association said that “peaceful protest is a mechanism for promoting democratic processes in the hands of citizens, and any attempt to suppress it is an anti-constitutional act.”

Transparency International Georgia has called for an investigation into police conduct during last night’s protests.

“Tonight, on 30 April 2024, during a peaceful rally, while citizens were expressing their peaceful protest against the Russian law, the Ministry of the Interior, without any apparent reason and due warning, started dispersing the crowd,” the watchdog said in a statement.

“The MoI forces used disproportionate force. Some protesters were beaten up. Police used rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, and water canons. Many protesters were arrested,” it said, adding:

“We call on the MoI to stop using force against the peaceful protesters and allow them to exercise their freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression in a secure environment. We call on the Special Investigative Service to investigate the crimes committed by the police officers.”

63 detained in Georgia protest: ministry

63 people were detained in Georgia during a protest against the ‘foreign agents’ bill and six police officers were injured, Georgia’s interior ministry said, Reuters reported.

Updated

'Strong concerns': US official spoke with Georgian MPs

Jim O’Brien, the US state department’s assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, said late yesterday that he had an “important conversation with Georgian MPs about our bilateral relationship.”

The discussion covered “our strong concerns over the draft Kremlin-inspired ‘foreign influence’ law and its negative impact on Georgia’s European aspirations,” he said.

Here are images from the latest protests in Tbilisi. Georgian security forces used water cannon, teargas and stun grenades against protesters outside parliament late yesterday.

'Heartbroken': Lithuanian minister says Georgia situation like 'losing a friend'

“I am heartbroken to hear Ivanishvili’s vision for Georgia’s future,” said Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister.

“I am devastated by this sudden change in relations with countries, including Lithuania, which have been Georgia’s closest allies. It feels like we are losing a friend,” he wrote in a social media post.

“We are now shocked to see Georgians being dragged towards unfreedom by those who are most scared of freedom themselves. But we know that Georgians, like Lithuanians, are eternally free-spirited and freedom will always flourish,” he added.

Teargas and stun grenades used against Georgian protesters opposing ‘foreign agents’ bill

Georgian security forces used water cannon, teargas and stun grenades against protesters outside parliament late on Tuesday, sharply escalating a crackdown after lawmakers debated a “foreign agents” bill that is viewed by the opposition and western nations as authoritarian and Russian-inspired.

Reuters witnesses saw some police officers physically attack protesters – who threw eggs and bottles at them – before using teargas, water cannon and stun grenades to force demonstrators from the area outside the Soviet-built parliament building.

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators have shut down Tbilisi’s central streets on a nightly basis since parliament approved the bill’s first reading on 17 April.

Masked riot police violently rushed the peaceful rally while beating and arresting scores of people protesting against the bill. Several journalists were attacked, including an AFP photographer who was beaten with a rubber baton despite being clearly identified as a member of the press, according to the news agency.

Levan Khabeishvili – the chairman of the main opposition United National Movement of jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili – was badly beaten and had to seek medical help.

Read the full story.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse

Welcome to the blog

Good morning and welcome back to the blog.

Today we will be focusing on the latest in Georgia.

Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.

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