FALCON POWERS – Approximately 50,000 people took part in a peaceful march through the rain-soaked streets of the Georgian capital on Saturday to voice their opposition to the proposed “Foreign Agents” law, after the United States stated that the country must choose between a law “modeled on the Kremlin” or the aspirations of its people. Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, tweeted, “We are deeply concerned by the democratic backsliding in Georgia.”
He added, “Georgian parliamentarians face a fateful choice: either support the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people or endorse a Foreign Agents law modeled on the Kremlin that undermines democratic values. We stand with the Georgian people.”
The proposed law, which requires organizations receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” has triggered a growing political crisis in Georgia. Thousands have taken to the streets to demand the withdrawal of the law. During Saturday’s demonstration, the crowd waved Georgian and European Union flags, as well as some Ukrainian flags. Unlike previous protests, the crowd included more elderly demonstrators in addition to many young people who have flooded the streets over the past month.
The parliament, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies, will begin sessions on Monday to discuss the third and final reading of the law. Opposition groups have called for a new wave of protests starting from Saturday.
