Police special forces in Tbilisi forced out thousands of protesters from Rustaveli Avenue in the center of the Georgian capital, using tear gas.
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People fled in panic along the neighboring streets, shouting insults at the authorities. Ambulance crews are located in the area around the parliament, which provide first aid to the victims. Activists help each other cope with the effects of tear gas by rinsing each other’s eyes with saline and offering water.
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A protest rally was held in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi on the morning of March 7, the protesters opposed the adoption of the bill on foreign agents, which was approved that day in the first reading. Earlier, the Georgian parliament received a draft law on the transparency of foreign influence, according to which it is proposed to create in the country a register of non-governmental organizations, media and entities receiving funding from a foreign state. The initiators of the bill claim that this project is a softened version of the American law. The opposition, as well as US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, previously reported that the bill has nothing to do with US law and is analogous to the law in force in Russia.
