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Protesters in Georgia plotted to wear police uniform to create provocations, ministry says

The Interior Ministry said that protesters appealed to police officers to join them

TBILISI, May 3. /TASS/. Organizers of protests in Georgia plotted to don police uniform and create provocations during the recent rallies, the Georgian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

"The Interior Ministry obtained information that certain organizers of the rallies planned to arrange a so-called performance, in particular, to carry out the initiation of violent actions on the part of law enforcers. They were also going to put on uniforms of members of various units of the Interior Ministry and spread information that the police allegedly joined the protesters," the statement said.

The ministry said that protesters recently, during protests and through news media, appealed to police officers to join them. Because this goal is elusive, protesters are looking for opportunities to buy uniforms through social networks. The Interior Ministry calls on party members and protest organizers to avoid such provocations.

On Wednesday, the Georgian legislature backed the second reading of the bill On Transparency of Foreign Influence which was opposed by Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, the opposition and Western diplomats who regard the legislation as a hurdle to the country’s integration into the European Union. The US State Department said the bill is aimed at undermining the country's vibrant civil society. Leaders of the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party argued that the bill only serves the purpose of ensuring transparency of foreign funding provided to non-governmental organizations and news media.

The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party announced in early April that it had decided to reintroduce the bill On Transparency of Foreign Influence to parliament. This happened a year after a similar initiative triggered mass protests, forcing the authorities to abandon the bill. Its text remained identical to last year’s, except for the term "agent of foreign influence." Instead, the term "organization promoting the interests of a foreign power" is used. The bill and its passage in the parliament cause regular protests involving clashes with the police.

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