Georgia protests: Thousands clash with police over Russia-style law against ‘foreign agents’

A woman brandishing an EU flag was hit by a water cannon

Demonstrators in Georgia defied a police crackdown on Wednesday to protest against a law limiting “foreign agents” that echoes restrictions imposed in Russia.

Teargas, stun grenades and a water cannon were used to break up crowds outside the Georgian parliament late on Tuesday, and 66 people were arrested after clashes.

The law, which has received initial approval, would require media outlets and rights groups that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from foreign sources to register as “agents of foreign influence”.