London: The Georgian Parliament witnessed ugly scenes on Monday as lawmakers came to blows, reported Reuters.
The ruling party was looking to advance a controversial bill on ‘foreign agents’ when the fracas took place.
Footage broadcast on Georgian television, which went viral on social media, showed Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party and a driving force behind the bill, being attacked by Opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili when he was addressing Parliament.
#BREAKING #Georgia A brawl broke out in the Georgian parliament as lawmakers discussed a ‘foreign agent’ bill. The ruling party announced plans to reintroduce legislation requiring organizations receiving foreign funds to register as foreign agents or face fines. pic.twitter.com/O0Cso7yoNf
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) April 15, 2024
It triggered a brawl among several lawmakers and a chaotic situation inside Parliament.
This is not the first such incident in Georgia’s often raucous parliament.
Last March, there was a similar brawl too.
The proposed bill on foreign agents has been criticised by Western countries and sparked protests in Georgia as well.
Georgian Dream wants to reintroduce legislation requiring organisations which accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines, 13 months after widespread protests forced it to be shelved.
Critics in Georgia have labelled the bill ‘the Russian law’, comparing it to similar legislation used by the Kremlin to crack down on dissent in Russia.
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