Police Use Tear Gas and Water Cannons Amid 'Foreign Agents' Bill Protest in Tbilisi

Protests against a so-called “foreign agents” bill that could curb the presence of media and non-governmental organizations in Georgia continued in Tbilisi into the early hours of May 2, despite police using water cannons and tear gas.

Footage by Liam Martin shows crowds waving Georgian flags near the country’s parliament building, as smoke rises and cannons spray water.

Martin said that earlier in the evening police fired “multiple tear gas rounds into a crowd of several thousand protestors without warning, creating a serious safety issue as protest participants risked a stampede.”

Radio Free Europe later reported injuries.

The new bill, officially the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, would require all non-commercial entities and media organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents.

Critics have termed it the “Russian bill”, claiming that it is very similar to Russian laws on “foreign agents”, according to Jam News.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was
“following the situation in Georgia with great concern” and that she condemned the violence taking place in Tbilisi. Georgia is a candidate for EU membership. Credit: Liam Martin via Storyful

Video transcript

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