Police in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters who opposed the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Russian agencies reported on Monday that several protesters were detained during the clashes.
The protests had been ongoing for several days, with thousands of people taking to the streets across the country. Demonstrators accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of shifting towards authoritarianism and adopting policies that were increasingly anti-Western and pro-Russian.
Many protesters expressed frustration over the government’s decision to halt EU accession talks, a move that further fueled tensions. The demonstrators were concerned that this decision would hinder Georgia’s potential integration into the West.
In response, the Georgian government defended its position, claiming that the suspension was a necessary step. However, the protests underscored deep dissatisfaction among citizens who had hoped for a stronger alignment with European institutions.
Police ended a tense standoff early on Monday by pushing demonstrators away from the parliament building and down Rustaveli Avenue, towards the Tbilisi Opera House. They began erecting barricades using whatever materials they could find.
As skirmishes broke out between the protesters and law enforcement, officers forced the demonstrators off the avenue. Protesters threw fireworks at the police, who responded with volleys of water cannon and tear gas, according to Russian agencies.
After months of rising tension, the crisis escalated following Thursday’s announcement that the government would freeze EU talks for four years. Pro-EU demonstrators clashed with police in response.
By early Monday, it remained unclear how many protesters had been detained. Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that only a small group remained near a metro station.
According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, 113 police officers sustained injuries during the protests in Tbilisi over the past few days.
On Sunday, four opposition groups urged protesters to demand paid leave from their jobs to attend the demonstrations, as allowed by labor law, and called on employers to grant time off.
Georgia’s pro-Western President, Salome Zourabichvili, called for pressure on the Constitutional Court to annul the results of last month’s election, which was won by Georgian Dream. Both the opposition and Zourabichvili have claimed that the election was rigged.
The European Union and the United States expressed concern over what they view as Georgia’s shift away from a pro-Western path and back towards Russia’s influence.
In response, Georgian Dream stated that it is taking action to protect the country’s sovereignty against external interference.
