Georgia. European flags on the streets and comparisons to Ukraine from the Yanukovych era.

Another day of mass protests in Georgia has passed. EU flags fly in the streets and the European anthem is heard. The crowd shouts to the authorities: Russians, Russians.

– We won't stop. Those who consider Russia friends are our enemies, says Liza Dadiani, one of the protesters.

The enemies of the protesting people are the MPs of the Georgian Dream party who are currently ruling Georgia. They are the ones, according to the demonstrators, who are pushing the country into Moscow's hands and driving away the real Georgian dream – joining the European Union.

– A large part of society believes that the Georgian parliament no longer represents national interests, but actually represents the interests of an oligarch with close ties to Moscow, comments Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics think tank.

The head of the ruling party is accused of pushing the pro-Putin law on foreign agents. Almost identical to the one in force in Russia. There, it is a tool to fight press freedom and suppress civil society. And it's about registering entities acting on behalf of foreign interests if they use at least 20 percent of foreign subsidies. – It appears that there are attempts to derail Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration, in much the same way as occurred at Euromaidan in Ukraine in 2013. Many people see a similarity between Georgia and Ukraine during the Yanukovych era, says Kakachia.

SEE ALSO: The President of Georgia announces her veto against the law on foreign agents

Two weeks ago, during the reading of the bill, there were fistfights in parliament. The meeting was interrupted by an opposition MP throwing his fists at an MP from the ruling party. Then he was beaten himself. Today he says – I have no regrets. – Emotions and rage took over and I couldn't stop myself. Then they beat me twice, both in the parliament building and at the police station. Even if they want to kill me, I am ready to pay that price, says Aleko Elisashvili, an MP from the opposition Citizens party.

Despite public opposition, the ruling party continues to push through the regulations. On Monday, she organized her own rally in defense of the idea. – This law serves to strengthen Georgian sovereignty. The law concerns transparency and foreign influence, says Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition.

The president of Georgia announced that she would veto the bill, although MPs from the ruling coalition are able to reject the veto. The politician also criticized the pro-government demonstration, suggesting that the participants were transported by bus.

“On Monday, we had the 15th day of mass, spontaneous protests against 'Russian law' and in defense of Georgia's European future. Today, a Putin-style action: officials 'transported' people by bus to Tbilisi to applaud the decisions of the ruling party. The real Georgia is a free Georgia! European Georgia! – wrote Salome Zurabishvili on the website X.

You can hear the same thing on the street. – These are old Soviet methods. This is obvious propaganda. This does not lessen my determination to protest one bit. I am sure that in the end this bill will not pass. At most, we will overthrow the government, says Dachhi Danelishvili. There is no shortage of determination on both sides. The originators of the regulations on foreign agents explain that they are pro-democratic. The last reading of the bill is scheduled for May 17 in parliament.

READ ALSO: Another protest in Georgia against the “foreign agents” law. The police used pepper spray

– Transparency is essential to strengthening modern democracy. Not only in Georgia, but also in the EU countries, America and everywhere where democracy prevails. If there is no transparency, democracy is in danger. Our goal is to ensure high standards, argues Rati Ionatamishvili, chairman of the parliamentary human rights committee and politician of the Georgian Dream coalition. Georgia recently, in December 2023, obtained the status of a candidate country for joining the European community. The adoption of a new law may seriously hinder the integration process, which is already not going well. The government in Tbilisi has so far been slow to introduce reforms expected by the European Commission, including in the field of justice.