EU condemns ‘intimidation, threats and physical assaults’ by authorities in Georgia – as it happened

4.01pm BST

Summary of the day

• Protests continued in Georgia ahead of a key vote on the controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill.

• Riot police armed with water cannon and teargas have been accused of beating protesters who picketed outside Georgia’s parliament to try to stop a final vote.

• The fresh scenes of violence came as hundreds of masked officers charged down demonstrators who had been attempting to block off access to the parliament.

• A group of members of the European parliament has asked the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, “to start preparing targeted sanctions against those in Georgia who are steering the country away from its European future.”

• Speaking at a press briefing, a spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy chief said “we strongly condemn acts of intimidation, threats and physical assaults against the protesters, against civil society activists, against politicians and against journalists and media workers.”

• The centrist Renew Europe group in the European parliament has called “on EU institutions to take steps to further condemn attempts by the ruling party to Putinise Georgia.”

• Separatist parties were in danger of losing their decade-long hold of power in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, with the pro-union Socialist party winning the most votes in Sunday’s election.

• Nevertheless, Carles Puigdemont said he intends to try to form a government composed of pro-independence parties.

• Puigdemont said in a press conference that the time has come to “rebuild bridges” within the independence movement and that a repeat election “wouldn’t be best for the Catalan people”.

• Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam today after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities.

3.46pm BST

Many students joined Georgia’s protests.

For the first time in my academic career I am greeted by an empty room. Why? Because all the students are protesting against the Russian law in Georgia. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/alC3rfzmLs

— George Melashvili 🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@geomel_ge) May 13, 2024