Thousands of anti-government demonstrations in Georgia

According to RCO News Agency, last Thursday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations after the European Parliame criticized the coury’s rece elections, which he claimed were “neither free nor fair”.

Since then, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, and sources told Politico that part of Georgia’s parliame building caught fire Saturday evening. Also, the Georgian police used water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray to suppress the protests.

These protests have been formed following the announceme of the Tbilisi governme to stop negotiations to join the European Union uil 2028. The police responded to the viole protesters with water cannons and tear gas.

According to the Reuters News agency, the demonstrations are the largest since the re-election of the ruling ai-Western Georgian Dream party last moh in parliameary elections that the pro-EU opposition claims were rigged.

The protests have now turned io chaos, and there have been reports of a fire in fro of the Georgian Parliame, which was caused by the protesters. The fire spread to the parliame building.

Also, other marches have been reported in differe cities and regions of Georgia.

Earlier on Saturday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the pro-EU opposition of plotting a revolution. The State Security Service also said that political parties were trying to “overthrow the governme by force”.

Georgia has long been one of the staunchest pro-Western states since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but has recely moved closer to Moscow. The coury was plunged io crisis on Thursday when the ruling Georgian Dream party announced it would stop joining the European Union. Tbilisi has accused Europe of blackmailing Georgia.

Membership in this union is extremely popular with many Georgians.

Tina Kuprishvili, a protester outside the parliame building in Tbilisi, where EU and Georgian flags hung side by side, said she waed Georgia to stick to its constitutional obligations to join the EU.

Opposition Preside Salome Zurabishvili, who also supports EU membership, said she would not step down after her term ends next moh because the new parliame is illegal and has no power to appoi her successor.

Also, images of the viole arrest of protesters by the security forces on Saturday were widely distributed.

One of the Georgian investigators said that the “brutality” of the police against the protesters was “disturbing” and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also announced that it is deeply concerned about the curre situation in Georgia.

The European Union has also said that it deeply regrets the action of the Tbilisi governme, and the US State Departme has also announced that it will suspend its strategic partnership with Georgia in response to this action.

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