"Russian law" and Ukrainian flags

Za "Time" from Tbilisi

"Georgia is currently at a strategic turning point. While the ruling majority is trying to push through the so-called 'Russian law on foreign agents', the opposition and the thousands of demonstrators who protest every day in Shota Rustaveli Street in front of the Parliament building - demand that the mentioned legal act be repealed and that the country be included in European integration."

This is how Archie, a thirty-year-old taxi driver in the Georgian capital, who escaped from the self-proclaimed Abkhazia, one of the two territories under the protection of Russia, describes the political situation in this country. He heard about Serbia, Novak Djokovic and football player Dusan Vlahovic. He doesn't know much about us, but he knows about the political situation in Kosovo.

photo: ivan mitkovski

"I know what happened with Kosovo and what the situation is like there. Now, while you have one Kosovo, we in Georgia have two Kosovos - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. So judge for yourself what kind of situation we are in," says the taxi driver of the very popular "Bolt" company here.

After the mass demonstrations, foreign analysts interpret that Georgia must choose which way to go. Will they follow the Baltic countries and the path to NATO and the European Union, or will they return "under the yoke" of Moscow and become a "satellite state", like Belarus. And it all started with the announcement of the adoption of a controversial law that requires the media and non-governmental organizations to register as "foreign agents" if they "pursue the interests of a foreign power", that is, if they receive more than 20 percent of their funds from abroad.

photo: ap

The law was passed by parliament, Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili vetoed it, but it is expected to go into effect soon regardless. Zurabishvili is now calling on MPs to repeal it the day after it comes into force. Stating that the law on foreign agents is unconstitutional in content, and accordingly - un-Georgian and undemocratic, and that it is impossible to "fix" it - the president assessed that its abolition has no alternative and would represent the will of the people.

However, the ruling party "Georgian Dream" has a sufficient majority in the parliament to override the president's veto. The leader of the parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze, believes that the president has no arguments against the new law.

photo: ap

"Salome Zurabishvili returned the law to us with one amendment - so that it would be in force for one day. With that, she closed the possibility of discussion and finally confirmed that she has no real arguments against the law!" Mdinaradze said on Facebook.

If Parliament overrules the President's veto by a majority vote, it will come into force immediately upon publication. The draft law caused protests in Tbilisi that repeatedly escalated into clashes with the police, as well as harsh reactions from the European Union and criticism from the United States of America, the OSCE, the Council of Europe... At the time of writing this text (May 21), the latest news that coming from the parliament of this country, they say that the competent committee referred the president's veto to the "Russian law" to the Committee for Legal Affairs for consideration.

However, the competent parliamentary committee, although it received this act for consideration, did not announce when it would declare itself. According to the rulebook, the veto of President Zurabishvili is first declared by the mentioned committee, and then the deputies discuss it in the plenary session.

After this development of events and the expectation that the parliament will outvote the president and adopt the controversial law, the USA and the European Union have spoken out. The US has openly said that if the law goes into effect, it will impose sanctions on those who support the law and their families, as well as those who abuse activists who oppose the law. The European Union warns that the adoption of this law will finally close the door to the European future for Georgia, because "such legislation has no place in Europe."

On the other hand, the leaders of the "Georgian Dream" party, who are the proponents of the law, claim that the law only serves the purpose of ensuring the transparency of foreign funds provided to non-governmental organizations and the media.

AND WHAT ARE THE CITIZENS SAYING??

The political situation in Georgia these days is very similar to the one in Serbia towards the end of Slobodan Milošević's rule. While young people demonstrate every day and demand its repeal, older Georgians have conflicting attitudes towards NATO and the European Union, and do not express excessive dissatisfaction with the announced law. Mainly because the proposed legal act does not affect them at all.

Saba, a twenty-five-year-old young man who came to Tbilisi from a small town in the interior and works two jobs in this city, assesses for "Vreme" that there is a generation gap, and that social networks and the media have contributed to this state of affairs.

"Young people are no longer informed through traditional media, as is the case with older generations, and they trust television less and less. That is why they make up the largest number of those demonstrating against the "Russian law". It is similar with the attitude towards the war in Ukraine. While young people are increasingly showing a strong national consciousness, older citizens are reserved on this issue," says Saba.

Proof of what Saba is talking about, one does not have to look far in Tbilisi. Almost the entire inner city area is flooded with national flags of Georgia, which are hung on all state institutions, houses, terraces of apartments, and the central neighborhoods of Stari grad, Vera and Veki are flooded with murals depicting the red and white flag of this country.

In addition to the Georgian flag, many citizens, numerous institutions, hotels and restaurants hang another flag side by side - the Ukrainian flag.

photo: i. Mitkovsky

UNDIVIDED SUPPORT TO UKRAINE

If the support for Ukraine in Georgia should be graphically described, it would be easiest to say that as many graffiti and flags in Belgrade are dedicated to Russia and Putin, in Tbilisi there are three times as many dedicated to supporting Ukraine. The whole city is "repainted" with yellow and blue colors and figures of famous dead Ukrainian soldiers.

And not only that. Many Georgians signed up as volunteers on the Ukrainian side from the first day of the war, they have special formations in the Ukrainian army, and therefore many citizens died in this war.

In front of one of the most famous hotels in the city center is the sign "Glory to Ukraine", and next to the Georgian and European Union flags sold by dozens of vendors on the city's central avenue, there is also a Ukrainian flag regularly.

PROTESTS THAT ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF THE WHOLE WORLD

Demonstrations in Tbilisi started when the "Russian law" was announced, and on several occasions there were clashes with the police. However, the most numerous and bloodiest demonstrations were held after the adoption of this act in the parliament, on May 13. There were large riots, after which 20 people were arrested. After the protest, the State Security Service of Georgia announced that the aim of the demonstrators was to "take power by force" with the help of finances from foreign parties and non-governmental organizations. After the protest in which the violence escalated, demonstrators continued to gather in front of the parliament every day, but in much smaller numbers.

On Wednesday, May 20, only a few hundred protesters were present. Wrapped in the flags of Georgia and the European Union, they shouted slogans against the government and the adoption of the "Russian law". One of those gathered, Katarina, carried a banner with the message "Power in people is stronger than people who have power." She is a student and tells "Vreme" that she regularly attends protests:

"We are here protesting because we do not want to become part of Russia. We do not want the adoption of the "Russian law", but a government that will be pro-European. By adopting this law, the government exposed itself and showed its intention to bring us back under Russian influence, and we do not want that. The law they want to adopt essentially violates our basic rights and allows the authorities to declare each of us as some kind of 'foreign agent' in the future. And we are not. Here are mostly young people who see their future in the European Union", says Katarina.

When asked if her parents support her in what she does, she answers in the affirmative and notes that there is a good portion of middle-aged and elderly citizens who do not come to the protests, but are against the adoption of the law.

"We are proud of our history, and Russia occupies a good part of it and has not shown itself as someone who is our friend. We want a free and independent Georgia that is not anyone's political satellite. We do not want to rebuild the USSR or be a part of it. History has shown that the time under Russia set us back. We know we won't do that, our goal is to progress in all areas", says Katarina.

Marta, a 19-year-old student from Australia, says the number of people is dwindling after last week's protests, but notes that protesters have been gathering here every day for more than a month and that their persistence shows they want to persevere.

"We will continue with daily demonstrations and we will show that we will not succumb to the pressure of the regime and the police. I believe that the demonstrations will become more massive as time goes on, especially as the elections, which are in October, get closer. Now there is a kind of pause in the mass, but I am convinced that soon thousands of citizens will walk the streets of Tbilisi", Marta is convinced.

He reminds that the protests started almost a month and a half ago and that they were poorly attended at the beginning, but that over time the number of people on the streets increased, to reach the maximum on May 13, when, according to estimates, there were more than 100.000 of them. He notes that the government tried to adopt this law last year as well, but after a negative reaction in the public and demonstrations, it withdrew the proposal from the assembly. Now, however, she is ready to go all the way.

"Its adoption would create great problems for us in our desire to enter the European Union, and it would also bring us sanctions from the West - which we do not want. That is why this law must not be adopted", she said.

Nina, another young girl who comes to the protests every day, agrees with this and points out that the adoption of the "Russian law" could be just the beginning of the adoption of new legal provisions that would affect the collapse of human rights in Georgia.

"That's why we don't intend to withdraw. We are here regardless of the cold or the rain. We will demonstrate until this law is withdrawn. The fight for freedom is in the blood of the citizens of Georgia, and that is why we will not surrender or back down in the face of threats from the authorities and the police. We remember our heroes who gave their lives for the independence of this country and continue where they left off", believes Nina.

She emphasized that the Government of Georgia must listen to its citizens and not work against them.

"Young generations want to travel freely to the countries of the European Union and for Georgia to reach the living standards of those countries. In choosing between the European Union and Russia, we have no dilemma, the decision is clear - we are for the EU", underlined Nina.

WHAT ABOUT THE ELECTIONS IN OCTOBER

Foreign analysts estimate that the future of protests in Georgia and the implementation of the disputed law will depend on the decision of the top authorities and the police, that is, how they will treat the many foreign organizations working in this country. Will the government start with the "sole" or will it try to soften the entire public for whom "Russian law" has been the main topic for months. A lot depends on whether the opposition and student organizations that participate in the protests will manage to maintain mass in the daily gatherings.

However, the elections to be held in Georgia in October will decide a lot. First of all, about the further path of the country into the future. Will they move to the West towards the European Union, or to the East, towards Russia and Putin's regime.

Photo: AP

Shadow of Ivanishvili

Foreign media that closely follow the situation in Georgia note that the most powerful man in this country, the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is behind the passing of this law.

He is said to have spent the last decade looking over the rooftops of Tbilisi from his hilltop glass castle, which his critics say resembles the headquarters of a James Bond villain.

And indeed, the castle that you pass right by on the way to the two major tourist destinations of this city, the Mother of Georgia monument and the Mtacminda amusement park, resembles something from an action movie. Although it does not officially have a function, there is a police patrol on duty at each of the many entrances, and taxi drivers only complete the almost unbelievable scenes from Ivanishvili's life. In addition to the heliport, which attracts attention with its dimensions next to the castle, local carriers recount that the oligarch spends his moments of rest with his pets - a shark and a penguin...