In a dramatic turn of events, riot police in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, forcefully dispersed thousands of demonstrators who had gathered in front of the parliament building on Tuesday evening. The protesters were demanding the government withdraw its controversial "foreign agent" law, which requires NGOs, campaign groups, and media outlets to register as such if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

Authorities employed water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom were waving EU flags as they were forced away from the building. Riot police repeatedly charged at the crowd without warning, resulting in several people being beaten and pushed back. The chaos was further intensified with the deployment of tear gas in the area.

Despite the crackdown, the protesters persistently returned to occupy central Rustaveli Avenue, leading to further clashes with the riot police. Ambulances were seen removing the injured, and an unknown number of individuals were detained.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili expressed her concerns and called upon the Interior Ministry to put an immediate stop to dispersing peaceful demonstrations with disproportionate force. She emphasized that the protest had proceeded peacefully, without posing any threat to public order, and criticized the authorities for turning against their own youth.

Prior to the crackdown, the area around the parliament had been sealed off, as tens of thousands of people gathered, brandishing EU flags. Buses loaded with police officers in balaclavas were deployed in the central Freedom Square.

The violent escalation of the protests comes after weeks of public demonstrations opposing the ruling Georgian Dream party's proposed "foreign agent" law, drawing parallel to Russia's restrictive regulations targeting dissent and civil society.

The European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in November, criticized the bill and deemed it incompatible with European values. The EU spokesperson suggested that the government should withdraw the law to avoid undermining its chances of joining the bloc. The U.S. State Department also criticized the legislation, highlighting how it could limit freedom of expression and impede independent media organizations.

Georgian Dream, however, defended the new rules, arguing that they are necessary to safeguard the country's sovereignty. Parliamentarians are set to vote in favor of the bill at a second reading on Wednesday.

As the police violence unfolded, Jan-Geert Koopman, the EU's director-general in charge of enlargement and neighborhood policy, prepared to visit Georgia. The recent crackdown has spurred calls for Koopman to adopt a tough stance towards the government. German MEP and European Parliament foreign affairs committee member Viola von Cramon-Taubadel urged Koopman to reconsider EU cooperation and consider sanctioning Bidzina Ivanishvili, a prominent oligarch and former Prime Minister who made controversial comments at a rally outside the parliament.

The situation in Tbilisi remains tense, with the government facing increasing pressure to address the concerns of the protesters and find a resolution to the ongoing crisis.