Georgia NGOs vow to defy 'influence' law as thousands rally to protest

Thousands of Georgians rallied Tuesday outside parliament after ruling party MPs adopted a divisive "foreign influence" law as Georgian NGOs on Wednesday vowed to defy the law that has been criticised for mirroring Russian legislation.

"The Russian law will not work in our country and will remain an empty piece of paper, which nobody will obey," some 200 NGOs said in a joint statement.

The law, which critics have compared to repressive Russian legislation used to silence dissent, forces groups receiving at least 20 percent of funding from abroad to register as "organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power."

The proposal has drawn fierce opposition from Western governments including the United States, which said the measure risked "stifling" freedom of expression in the Black Sea Caucasus nation.

Brussels warned the measure was "incompatible" with the ex-Soviet republic's longstanding bid for EU membership, which is enshrined in the country's constitution and supported — according to opinion polls — by more than 80 percent of the population.

Lawmakers voted 84 to 4 to pass the bill on Tuesday, after overriding pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili's veto.

Most opposition MPs walked out of the 150-seat chamber ahead of the vote.

The EU said that it deeply regretted the law being adopted, and foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was "considering all options to react to these developments".

  'Angry, frustrated' 

Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament on Tuesday evening with crowds swelling after the chamber voted to adopt the law.

Georgia's national anthem and EU's Ode to Joy were performed at the rally.