The Georgian Dream ruling party has decided to withdraw its ‘Foreign Agents’ bill after widespread protests over the past 2 days in the country. Georgia saw two days of violent protests across the country over a bill that was called a Russian-inspired authoritarian shift by the opposition. The opposition also said that the bill imperiled hopes of the country joining the European Union.
The ruling Dream party said in a statement that it would “unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported, without any reservations”. It cited the need to reduce confrontation in society, while also denouncing lies told about the bill by the radical opposition.
The EU delegation to Georgia welcomed the announcement, saying it wanted to “encourage all political leaders in Georgia to resume pro-EU reforms, in an inclusive and constructive way”.
Earlier, thousands of protestors led by the opposition had gathered on the streets of Georgia to protest against the law that said that any organization that received more than 20 percent of its funding from abroad will be labeled as a “Foreign Agent”.
The introduction of the bill led to massive protests backed by the opposition outside the Georgian Parliament. The protests against the bill turned violent and Police had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors. At least 50 Police officials were injured during the clashes. Many protestors were arrested.
The ruling government officials said the bill was necessary to root out foreign influence and spies from Georgia’s political scene. They argued that the Georgians have the right to know who funds non-government organizations working in the country. However, the opposition said that it is a law to crush dissent.
Interestingly, the bill has deepened a rift between the ruling party Georgian Dream and Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU woman who has moved away from the party since being elected with its support in 2018.