STORY: :: Georgians protest against a law on 'foreign agents' ahead of its third reading in parliament
:: Tblisi, Georgia
:: May 12, 2024
[Lasha, protester]
"I am pretty sure that they will take this law. They will make what they want. And we are going to continue our protests as long as we will be able to. We will continue our protest till the elections."
[Tekla, protester]
"I want Georgia to live in Europe. I do not want to wake up in Russia. And I really hope that our generation is going to have a bright future, because I want to get education. I want to get educated in Europe, not in Russia."
Georgia's opposition has called on opponents of the bill to stage on all-night protest outside parliament to prevent lawmakers from entering the building on Monday (May 13), when they are due to begin debating the bill's third reading.
The dispute over the bill has come to be seen as key to whether Georgia, which has had traditionally warm relations with the West, continues its push for European Union and NATO membership, or instead builds ties with Russia.
The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, has repeatedly said the bill could jeopardise Tbilisi's further integration with the bloc.
