Moment hundreds of police officers tear gas elderly man walking with a cane
Two people reported being 'severely beaten'.
This is the disturbing moment police in riot gear teargassed an elderly man, propping himself up with a cane.
Footage flooding social media shows officers – some carrying shotguns – ‘hunting down’ demonstrators, lashing them with batons and spraying them with tear gas in their faces.
Multiple people were seen with bloodied noses and mouths, trying to escape the police who spared no one.
The scenes took place in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, where protests erupted in the last 48 hours over an ‘authoritarian’ ‘Foreign Agent Bill’ described as Russian-style law.
Violence engulfed the streets in the vicinity of Shota Rustaveli Avenue, where the Georgian Parliament is located, late into the night.
As many as 10,000 protesters massed outside, a much larger gathering than the previous day, to denounce the bill, approved by the parliamentary committee on Monday.
David Katsarava, leader of the Georgian anti-occupation movement ‘Strength in Unity’, attended the protests since they began at the beginning of the week.
He told Metro.co.uk that police were ‘obeying Russian instructions’ when striking people.
The former Georgian actor said: ‘Police are targeting us for no reason. This is the manner in which they treat us – you can see it all in the videos on social media.
‘This is based on instructions from Russia, and the Georgian government has been obeying them.
‘Protests started literally an hour after the pro-Russian government approved the bill, just like in March 2023.
‘Everyone realises that this law is exactly what Russia used to silence the society in the country, and they were very successful.
What is the 'Foreign Agent' bill in Georgia?
The law, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as ‘foreign agents’, or face substantial fines.
Georgian critics have labelled the bill ‘The Russian Law’, comparing it to similar legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent in Russia.
Russia is widely unpopular in Georgia, due to Moscow’s support for the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which were taken when Russia defeated Georgia in a short war in 2008.
‘So, we know that we cannot accept this law. We were out on the streets yesterdaywhen police began using violence.’
A video shows dozens of officers hunting down people door-to-door and street-by-street.
According to the preliminary information, at least 16 protesters were detained in Tbilisi, some of those have been released. Two report being ‘severely beaten’.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry said one police officer was injured in the disturbance.
Critics have compared the bill to Russian legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.
This accusation carries a lot of weight in the South Caucasus nation, where Russia backed the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Alexandre Crevaux-Asatiani, deputy director for foreign affairs at United National Movement Georgia, told Metro.co.uk that the only way to stop the government from passing the bill is ‘on the ground’.
Calling for more people to join the protests, he said: ‘There is a lot of hope. And it is not just politicians; this morning, half of Georgia’s national football team came out publicly against this bill.’
He described the way police treated protesters as ‘brutal but characteristic’ for the regime.
‘It was ugly. What happened was that the main protest was in front of parliament, while there were also people at the back, who were blockaded,’ he said.
‘They could not come out as police were blocking them. It was only once that they were completely besieged, officers teargassed them.
‘This is aa violation of any international standard on how to to handle protesters.
‘Then, they started chasing protesters down small streets, which is also a violation. Once you are in small streets, police should either pull back or be careful.
‘Officers were catching people individually, putting them on the ground and beating them.’
Nika Melia, a prominent opposition politician, said Georgian Dream government was ‘in cahoots’ with Vladimir Putin and the issue was about the country’s very independence.
‘What I can say definitely is that Georgians and the Georgian will cannot be defeated,’ he said.
‘No chance. Georgians will prevail over the Russian interest.’
Russian Security Council deputy head Dmitry Medvedev supported the draft law on foreign influence in Georgia.
Protests continued after on Monday, Mamuka Mdinaradze, leading ruler of the Georgian Dream party and a politician who supports the ‘foreign agent’ bill, was punched by opposition leader Aleko Elisashvili while speaking.
President Salome Zourabichvili, a frequent critic of Georgian Dream, wrote on X that drive to pass the bill was a provocation and a Russian strategy to destabilise her country.
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