Thousands of people protested in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Wednesday for the second consecutive day, and staged demonstrations in front of the parliament against the “foreign agents” law.
As night fell, police used water cannons and stun grenades to drive away dozens of people after they stormed an iron barrier erected near Parliament, according to Reuters.
Heavy fines
This came after lawmakers approved a first reading of the bill on Tuesday, which requires any organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from outside the country to register as a “foreign agent” or face hefty fines.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says the bill follows the lines of US legislation dating back to the 1930s.
According to opponents, including President Salome Zurabishvili, the bill would damage Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union.
77 people were arrested
In Tuesday night’s violent clashes, protesters hurled petrol bombs and stones at police.
While the police responded by using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The Interior Ministry said 77 people had been arrested.
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