Protest rally against foreign agents bill resumes in Tbilisi

Several thousand people have convened for another rally in downtown Tbilisi, Georgia, near the parliament building, a TASS correspondent reported from the site.

The protesters have set up a stage near the parliament’s front entrance. Political speeches are planned, including by opposition leaders. The street has been blocked off but people continue to arrive, TASS reports.

The police are monitoring the events, with anti-riot equipment, including water cannons, stationed not far from the rally’s epicenter.

Earlier, Georgia’s parliament passed the foreign agents bill in the first reading. The bill triggered a negative reaction from the opposition and President Salome Zurabishvili, as well as from the EU and US embassies. According to those opposing the idea, the bill will hinder the country’s integration into the European Union.

In early April, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced its decision to reintroduce the bill restricting the activities of foreign agents a year after the initiative had triggered mass protests, making the authorities opt against adopting it. The wording of the bill is the same as the draft submitted last year, except that the term "an agent of foreign influence" has been replaced with "an organization promoting the interests of a foreign power."