Georgian President and Prime Minister clash over media freedom law on Independence Day

Georgia's president and prime minister argued at an event celebrating the country's independence day. They disagreed over a law that some believe will limit media freedom and harm Georgia's efforts to join the European Union. The law says media and non-governmental groups must register as "working for a foreign power" if they get over 20% of their money from abroad. People against the law call it "the Russian law" because Russia has similar rules. Many protests happened in the capital city, Tbilisi, while the law was being discussed in parliament. The president, Salome Zourabichvili, tried to stop the law by saying no on May 18, but the prime minister's party, Georgian Dream, has enough votes to ignore her decision. Zourabichvili thinks Georgia should work closely with Europe to stay independent and peaceful, not with Russia. She said this during the ceremony for Georgia's 106th independence day. The prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, praised Georgia's progress and criticized Zourabichvili at the same event. Later that day, many people who disagreed with the law marched in the capital. Some protests before this one led to fights between protesters and police. The European Union thinks this law is bad for Georgia's goal of joining the EU. Some people believe Russia pushed for this law to stop Georgia from getting closer to the West. The U.S. Secretary of State said Georgian officials who hurt democracy might face travel restrictions. He hopes Georgia's leaders will change their minds about the law and keep working towards democracy and joining the EU.