Georgia defies EU and backs law targeting ‘foreign agents’

Brussels warns new curbs on civil society flout “European values” as protests grow in Tbilisi.

Georgian MPs approved controversial plans to brand hundreds of NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents on Tuesday, paving the way for the bill to become law despite growing domestic dissent and condemnation from the U.S. and EU.

In a vote, parliamentarians supported the proposals brought forward by the governing Georgian Dream party by 84 votes in favor and 30 against, after weeks of contentious debatethat saw several brawls break out in the assembly chamber and one senior lawmaker assaulted. Crowds gathered outside the graffiti-daubed parliament building with whistles, vuvuzelas and even hitting pots and pans in a bid to make themselves heard by the lawmakers inside.

Under the new rules, civil society groups receiving more than 20 percent of their income from abroad will be required to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power,” a label that critics fear will be used to silence anti-corruption campaigners and others critical of the government.