To Russia’s South, Georgians Protest Against Moscow-Inspired ‘Foreign Agents’ Bill

Proposals for a restrictive new political-funding law have set off a storm in Georgia, triggering days of street protests from government opponents who say it represents Russia’s latest attempt to export its legal standards to countries that made up the old Soviet Union, and are instead urging a decisive break with Moscow. 

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protests Tuesday night, and tensions remained high Wednesday as Parliament discussed a bill requiring political or civil groups that receive a fifth of their funding from abroad be labeled as “foreign agents.”