O The bill is considered repressive and the European Union (EU) warned that it would put the country’s membership in the European bloc at risk.
The text, which has brought thousands of Georgians to the streets since it was presented for the second time in parliament in mid-April by the ruling Georgian Dream party, was denounced for its similarity to a law adopted in Russia, which allowed, in few years, silence opposition to Vladimir Putin.
It also raised concerns in Brussels, which warned that the adoption of this type of law could reduce Georgia’s chances of joining the EU.
With European and Georgian flags, around 20,000 people gathered in Republic Square, in the center of Tbilisi, according to a journalist from the France-Presse (AFP) news agency present at the scene.
The protesters then began a one-kilometer “march for Europe” along the city’s main avenue to the Georgian parliament.
“I’m here to defend the future of Georgia,” said one of the protesters, 19-year-old Lacha Tckheidzé. “No to Russia, no to Russian law, yes to Europe,” she added.
A first attempt to approve the text failed a year ago, after a massive mobilization of the opposition.
Today’s demonstration was organized in response to a call from human rights groups and opposition parties, which until now had remained on the sidelines of a struggle that mobilized mainly young people.
“The authorities, who reintroduced the Russian bill, are going beyond what the Constitution allows and are changing the course of the country, betraying the invariable will of the people,” organizers wrote in a statement.
“This law, like this Government, is incompatible with Georgia’s historic choice to be a member of the European Union,” Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition Akhali party, told AFP during the demonstration.
Previous demonstrations in recent days were dispersed by the police and in the secondary streets of the city center law enforcement attacked and arrested protesters.
The ruling party announced that it will hold its own demonstration on Monday, when the text is expected to be examined in second reading in the Georgian parliament.
If approved, the law will oblige non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register administratively as an “organization that defends the interests of a foreign power”.
The President of Georgia, former French diplomat Salome Zurabishvili, who is in conflict with the ruling party but whose powers are limited, has assured that she will veto the law if necessary.
A former Soviet republic located in the Caucasus, Georgia turned west two decades ago, an orientation long supported by former President Mikheïl Saakachvili, now in prison.
But the party currently in power is accused by the opposition of insidiously steering the country towards Moscow.
Read Also: Young people took to the streets in the capital of Georgia in a pro-European demonstration
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