Dynamics of the Mass Mobilizations Against the Georgian Foreign Agent Law

Abstract

The eventful protests against the reintroduction of the Georgian Foreign Agent Law in the spring of 2024 brought a diverse range of actors to the streets, including well-established civil society organizations (CSOs) and the youth, but also grassroots movements and leftist local groups. Driven by a combination of democratic and geopolitical grievances, the protests reflected responsiveness in opposing the increasingly authoritarian stance of the Georgian government. At first glance, the opposition to the controversial law seemed homogenous, with an organic nature and sometimes self-organized events. Those engaged in protest have employed a combination of peaceful demonstrations, contentious practices, symbolic framing, and digital activism to contest the policy of Georgian Dream. This paper presents an exploration of the power dynamics within the opposition to the Georgian Foreign Agent Law, relying on an inductive analysis based on qualitative data collected in 2023 and during the 2024 protests through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with different actors from CSOs, grassroots movements, and local labor unions. An examination of the underlying practices and the repertoire of actions that gave rise to these mobilizations indicates that the protests gathered actors with disparate agendas, unified by their opposition to the government. The study finds that certain groups have remained excluded within the mobilization in terms of strategy building, contributing to their marginalization from both the civil society sector and the authorities.