On the face of it the bill could sound innocuous: any civil society organisation that receives more than 20% of its funds from abroad must register as an organisation under foreign influence. Yet the new law Georgia’s parliament passed yesterday has sparked outrage and demonstrations in the capital, Tbilisi.

Critics claim the bill is “Kremlin-inspired” as Putin passed a similar law in 2012, which they say has had a chilling effect on civil society. Demonstrators think it is a way to redirect Georgia towards Russia. The Guardian’s chief reporter, Daniel Boffey, has been speaking to young protesters – often schoolchildren – about why they are so incensed.

He tells Michael Safi, how, for years, Georgia has been walking a tightrope between keeping European and Russian powers happy. It has been granted accession status by the EU. Yet one of the country’s most powerful people, the oligarch and politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, is championing the new law, which could threaten the closer ties with Europe. And the shadow of the war in Ukraine is being held up as an example of what could happen if Russia is angered. Yet the protesters say they will not back down.

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