STORY: Reuters eyewitnesses saw police physically attack protesters, who threw eggs and bottles at them, before using tear gas and water cannons to force demonstrators to leave the area Exterior of the Soviet-built Parliament building.
Earlier, riot police used pepper spray and batons to clear some protesters who tried to prevent lawmakers from leaving the rear entrance of Parliament. Some demonstrators shouted “Slaves” and “Russians” at the police.
The bill deepened divisions in the deeply polarized South Caucasus country, pitting the ruling Georgian Dream party against a protest movement backed by opposition groups, civil society, celebrities and the president of Georgia.
Parliament, controlled by the Georgian Dream and its allies, is expected to approve the bill, which must pass two more readings before becoming law. Lawmakers ended Tuesday’s session without a vote and debate will resume Wednesday.
The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.”
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