Georgia arrests 107 more people as pro-EU demonstrations continue

RFI

30 November 2024 at 8:08 am·1-min read

A protester waves an European Union flag during a rally outside the parliament to protest the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, 30 November 2024.

Georgia on Saturday said 107 people were arrested during a second night of protests sparked by the newly-elected government's decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a 26 October parliamentary election that the pro-EU opposition said was fraudulent.

The interior ministry said 107 people were detained for "disobedience to lawful police orders and petty hooliganism."

"Throughout the night... protesters threw various objects, including stones, pyrotechnics, glass bottles, and metal items, at law enforcement officers," it said, adding that "10 employees of the ministry of internal affairs were injured."

The ministry had said that 32 police officers were wounded and 43 protestors detained on Thursday.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement Thursday that Georgia will not seek to open accession talks with the European Union until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition and two days of protests.

He later accused the opposition and the EU ambassador to Georgia of distorting his words, and insisted membership in the bloc "by 2030" remains his "top priority."

Clashes outside parliament

Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area outside parliament, beating demonstrators, some of whom threw objects.

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Clashes outside parliament

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