Tensions between lawmakers in the Georgian parliament boiled over on Monday when a member of the opposition party threw a punch over a controversial “foreign agent” bill.
Aleko Elisashvili, a member of parliament in the opposition party, ran up to the podium where ruling party leader Mamuka Mdinaradze was speaking and punched him, leading to chaos in the chamber. The initial punch by Elisashvili led to further skirmishes among lawmakers.
In Tbilisi, Georgia, after hitting a pro-Russian Member of Parliament, Aleko Elisashvili explained that he had punched him “right in his Russian face,” and that he could “shove the pro-Russian law up his ass,” as “Georgians will not be slaves.”
👉 Russia only understands force. https://t.co/ow3ExJnZ3x pic.twitter.com/VWFfzrgKPf
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) April 15, 2024
Mdinaradze was speaking to the chamber in support of a bill that would require organizations that take funds from outside the country to register as foreign agents, with fines levied as punishment for those who do not comply, according to Reuters. Opponents of the law argue it mimics legislation in Russia that has been used to crack down on dissent from the ruling party.
The bill had been floated last year but was ultimately withdrawn by the ruling party before being reintroduced this year. It has sparked mass protests in the country.
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“It’s not about the law, I mean it’s not about the legal proceedings. It’s about the geopolitical choice. Whether Georgia is going to the European Union, or whether Georgia is going to Russia,” Khatia Dekanoidze, an opposition member of parliament, told the outlet.
The legislation comes as Georgia, a former Soviet state, is attempting to join the European Union, but the law could complicate its candidacy. The EU elevated Georgia to candidate status late last year, and it has been vocal in its opposition to the legislation.
