"Foreign agent" bill withdrawn after days of protests in Georgia

WARNING: Video contains violent content not suitable for all viewers. Discretion is advised.

Georgia's ruling party said on Thursday it was withdrawing a bill on "foreign agents" after two nights of violent protests against what opponents called a Russian-inspired authoritarian shift that imperilled hopes of Georgia joining the European Union.

The bill would have required Georgian organizations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents" or face fines.

Footage from March 8, a night ahead of the withdrawal, shows protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia being blasted by a water cannon as they took to the streets to voice their disapproval of the bill.

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said 66 people were arrested during the protest on Wednesday due to "petty hooliganism and disobedience to the legal demands of the police."

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