Georgia condemned after police crackdown on protesters

The European Union led condemnation against Georgia on Wednesday after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of demonstrators protesting against a controversial "foreign influence" bill.

The clashes were the most violent yet in three weeks of rallies against the planned law — which critics say is modelled on Russian legislation used to stifle dissent and the EU says undermines Georgian ambitions to join the European Union.

Several people, including opposition politicians, reported being beaten by riot police at the latest rally which went into the early hours of Wednesday. The interior ministry said 63 people were arrested.

The turmoil came ahead of parliamentary elections in October, seen as a test of democracy in Georgia, three decades after it gained independence with the fall of the Soviet Union.

"I strongly condemn the violence against protesters in Georgia who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence," said EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

"Georgia is an EU candidate country, I call on its authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly. Use of force to suppress it is unacceptable," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

 'Cruelly beaten' 

An AFP reporter saw masked riot police violently rush the peaceful rally which started Tuesday evening.

They fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon, beating and arresting scores of people.

Several journalists were attacked, including an AFP photographer, wearing clear press identification, who was beaten with a rubber baton.

Lawmaker Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the main opposition United National Movement of jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, was badly beaten and had to...