SELECT LANGUAGE BELOW

Europe live: Georgia cancels parliament session amid huge protests against ‘foreign agents’ bill | Georgia

Elina ValtonenFinland’s Foreign Minister said: “There is an alarming situation in Georgia. Violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable.”

She further added: “Georgia has been granted EU candidate status and we expect Georgia to continue on that path, and it is the people’s choice. We encourage people to demonstrate against the Foreign Influence Law. You have the right to do so.”

Alarming scenes in Georgia. Violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable. Georgia has been granted the status of an EU candidate and we expect Georgia to continue on that path, which is the choice of its people. People have the right to demonstrate against foreign influence laws.

— Elina Valtonen (@elinavaltonen) May 2, 2024

\n\n”}}” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web”,”darkModeAvailable”:false,”assetOrigin”:”https://assets.guim.co.uk/”}”>

Alarming scenes in Georgia. Violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable. Georgia has been granted the status of an EU candidate and we expect Georgia to continue on that path, which is the choice of its people. People have the right to demonstrate against foreign influence laws.

— Elina Valtonen (@elinavaltonen) May 2, 2024

share

Georgia’s state legislature yesterday approved a second reading of a controversial “foreign agent” bill that has sparked a political crisis and mass protests.

According to Reuters, police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear out large numbers of demonstrators opposing the bill.

Eleven people, including six police officers, were treated at hospitals after Wednesday’s altercation, according to the Georgia Department of Health.

Demonstrators holding European flags protested against the “Foreign Agents Bill,” which was resubmitted on May 1st. Photo: Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestto/Getty Images
Protesters block the entrance to Georgia’s parliament building in Tbilisi on May 1 as riot police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Photo: Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestto/Getty Images
share

Update date and time

‘Their voice must be heard’: UK demands right to protest respected

The British Embassy in Georgia said today: “We continue to monitor developments in future events very closely.”

“The people of Georgia have loud and clear a desire to be part of the Euro-Atlantic family. Their voices must be heard. Their right to peaceful protest is It must be respected,” he added.

We will continue to closely monitor future events.

The people of Georgia are loud and clear about their desire to be part of the Euro-Atlantic family. Their voices must be heard.Their right to peacefully protest must be respected@MarkClaytonFCDO

— UKinGeorgia (@UKinGeorgia) May 2, 2024

\n\n”}}” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web”,”darkModeAvailable”:false,”assetOrigin”:”https://assets.guim.co.uk/”}”>

We will continue to closely monitor future events.

The people of Georgia are loud and clear about their desire to be part of the Euro-Atlantic family. Their voices must be heard.Their right to peacefully protest must be respected@MarkClaytonFCDO

— UKinGeorgia (@UKinGeorgia) May 2, 2024

share

Georgia suspends legislative session after mass protests

Georgia’s parliament has canceled a plenary session scheduled for today following mass protests over a “foreign agent” bill that has raised concerns that the country is moving away from democratic norms and closer to Russia. .

A statement from Congress said the cancellation was related to damage sustained to the building during Wednesday’s protests, according to the Associated Press.

On May 1, demonstrators set up barricades blocking a side entrance to Georgia’s parliament during a rally against a controversial “foreign influence” bill. Photo: Jorge Argevanidze/AFP/Getty Images
share

Update date and time

welcome to the blog

good morning. Welcome to the Europe Blog. Today we’ll focus on the latest information from Georgia.

Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.

share

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Telegram
WhatsApp

Related News