ADDS LATEST SITUATION, PRESIDENT'S REACTION, CHANGES DECK
By Davit Kachkachishvili and Yasin Gungor
TBLISI, Georgia (AA) - Police in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of pro-European Union protesters attempting to surround the parliament on Monday.
The latest incident was part of nationwide protests now in their fifth day which began after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's government announced on Nov. 28 that EU accession talks would be postponed until 2028.
Demonstrators, angered by the decision, gathered in front of parliament, launching fireworks and throwing stones at police officers stationed behind barricades.
Security forces responded with force, pushing protesters back from the building.
Several protesters were detained during the clashes.
“This is an attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest -- basic rights violated," said Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, criticizing the police intervention.
The president claimed the protests are “unlike anything in our (Georgia's) history,” suggesting that Georgians want their "votes" and "European future" back.
The Interior Ministry said that some groups resorted to violence during the demonstrations.
It added that since the protests began, 113 police officers have been injured
Meanwhile, demonstrators reportedly began to disperse around 6 a.m. local time (0200GMT), with hundreds marching towards Ilia Chavchavadze Street.
Georgia’s bid for EU membership, initiated in 2022, has faced significant hurdles.
Tensions escalated after the adoption of the controversial “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law, which critics argue limits political freedoms.
Late last month, the European Parliament called for new elections in Georgia, saying the Oct. 26 polls were neither free nor fair, intensifying protests led by opposition groups and pro-EU activists.
Kobakhidze accused European officials of interference.
"Considering all this, we have decided not to bring the issue of initiating negotiations with the EU to the agenda until the end of 2028," he said.