MPs in Georgia clashed in parliament as a parliamentary committee debated a controversial “foreign agents” law that critics say is modeled after draconian legislation in place in neighboring Russia.

Video footage broadcast from the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, shows a brief but violent altercation between lawmakers when the chairman of the body’s legal committee punched the leader of the opposition United National Movement party, which opposes the law.

The ruling coalition, led by the Georgian Dream party, announced last month that it supports the bill, which also needs to go through other stages of approval before becoming law.

The law requires organizations that receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” and be placed under the supervision of the Justice Department or face heavy fines.

Critics of the law compare it to the Russian law of 2012, which has since been constantly expanded and used to suppress the initiatives of civil society and independent media in Russia. They say the law signals a shift towards totalitarianism.

Irakli Pavlenishvili, a human rights activist and opposition politician, said: “The Russian law that is now being proposed to parliament is contrary to Georgia’s national interests, it is contrary to our European aspirations.”

According to news site OC-Media, Irakli Berea, a member of parliament for the ruling Georgian Dream party, called opponents of the law “spies.” The faction in question claims to remain committed to the country’s accession to the European Union.

Georgian President Salome Zurabisvili said she would veto the bill, which she said, if passed, would jeopardize Georgia’s hopes of joining the European Union and NATO. Parliament can override the president’s veto.

Last month, more than 60 civil society organizations and the media said they would not abide by the law if the law were passed.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.