GEORGIA: Russian Law Rallies & more – 2nd May 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 2nd of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Monday, the 29th, the parliament made its second reading of the Russian Law. Recall that the bill was passed on the 17th of April with eighty-three votes.

During the second reading, tensions flared at the legal committee session as Ana Tsitlidze, a member of the United National Movement or Natsebi, became the seventh opposition deputy ejected that day. Anri Okhanashvili, the chairman of the committee, ordered her removal following a heated exchange with Mamuka Mdinaradze, a member of the Georgian Dream or Otsneba and the leader of the parliamentary majority, where Tsitlidze accused Otsneba of dodging their questions.

Meanwhile, Otsneba called for a rally on Monday the 29th, held it that same day, and lasted for about an hour. This was quite different from the spontaneous mass protests against the Russian Law, which have been going on for the past two weeks.

On Monday, Otsneba defended its policies, including tough stances on nationalism, banning "LGBT propaganda" and supporting the Russian law to protect national values and reject foreign interference. The ruling party urged everyone "who cares about homeland, language, and faith" to participate. People gathered at 6m on Rustaveli Avenue, with Mamuka Mdinaradze giving an opening speech at 8 pm. This rally backed what the ruling party called the "right Georgian path."

The event, named the "General People’s Meeting," kicked off with Georgia's national anthem. Otsneba brought people from other regions and also other forces within the party, like the youth wing of Otsneba, which displayed a banner saying, “Towards Europe with dignity.”

Ivanishvili Bidzina, the party's founder, delivered a speech expressing support for a free, independent, and sovereign Georgia. He talked about the citizens' commitment to the nation's core values—homeland, language, and faith—and advocated for Georgia's European integration aspirations.

On the flip side, on Tuesday the 30th, President Salome Zurabishvili criticized Otsneba’s rally, labeling it a "Putin-style" maneuver. She pointed out that the ruling party bussesed in civil servants from various regions specifically to support Otsneba.

She posted a photo on Twitter showing traffic jam-packed with buses headed to Tbilisi. Her tweet read, "Today is a 'Putin-style' rally: civil servants were brought to Tbilisi by bus to celebrate the ruling party’s decisions. Real Georgia is free Georgia! European Georgia!"

On Tuesday the 30th, Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament, announced that the "Russian law" would not undergo its second reading vote on that day as planned due to the ongoing protests. The discussion continued on Wednesday, the 1st of May, where, the Parliament adopted the draft law "On transparency of foreign influence" in its second reading, with eight-three deputies supporting and twenty-three opposing. There has been a heated debate over the past two days with MPs turning arguments into real fights.

Going back to Rustaveli Avenue, on Wednesday the 1st, the Georgian Special Forces, under orders from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, aggressively dispersed peaceful protesters who were against the Russian Law using tear gas and water cannons. The police forcibly removed demonstrators. Since the media access was restricted, citizens didn’t know if the protesters sustained injuries or not.

The violent actions provoked anger and calls for investigation from the Public Defender, Transparency International-Georgia, and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. President Salome Zurabishvili condemned the government's disproportionate force, saying that the police were denying citizens their right to protest peacefully.

On the night of Tuesday the 30th of April, during the rally, the police reportedly beat and arrested American lawyer Ted Jonas. Jonas is a well-known resident of Tbilisi and a senior counsel at the international law firm Dentons. He had several injuries. His arrest sparked further concern among demonstrators and international observers.

lice used excessive force. By: 10:15

On Wednesday the 1st, another rally against the Russian Law in Tbilisi saw an unexpected wave of support as numerous city bus drivers joined the cause. These drivers strategically parked their buses on the main avenues, along both banks of the Mtkvari River, blocking the entire town. People left their cars on the streets and joined the protest. This move not only disrupted normal traffic but also symbolically joined forces with the students already protesting in front of Tbilisi’s Justice House. Recall that many of the protesters belong to GenZ or are students, who switch from one place to another to protest everywhere.

On the morning of Wednesday the 1st, after five hours of tense confrontation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered "Spetznaz," -which is sort of a military police- to pull back from Rustaveli Avenue, handing control back to the "No Russian Law" protesters. The heavy robocops and regular police forces also retreated, returning to their original positions at the entrances of the Parliament building and protesters quickly moved forward to regather at the parliament building.

In the evening of the same day, there was a protest against the Russian Law with supporters from all over Georgia, including Batumi, Guria, Kutaisi, Imereti, and more regions. The crowd grew huge, with over 85,000 people flooding Rustaveli Avenue.

Late in the evening, things got intense. Special police inside the parliament courtyard started firing water cannons and tear gas because they said protesters tried to break into the parliament building. The demonstrators had planned to split into three groups—one heading to Otsneba’s headquarters, another to the Chancellery, with the third staying on Rustaveli Avenue. But when the police hit them with tear gas, it threw everyone into a panic. Ambulances rushed in to help, and someone even started a fire outside the parliament entrance. Despite the chaos, everyone stuck together. The younger crowd was ready with masks, water, and first aid, helping out wherever needed.

Eight protesters ended up in the hospital with cuts, breathing issues, and other injuries. Fortunately, one has been discharged.

And that’s it for this week! Thanks your joining us!

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