Police continue to detain violent troublemakers during protests sparked by the postponement of Georgia’s EU accession talks, according to local media.
The total number of detainees reached 224, the Georgian Interior Ministry reported. The arrested were charged with administrative offences of disobeying police demands and minor hooliganism. Ten foreigners, including eight Russians, were among those arrested, local human rights organisations said.
The protests in Tbilisi ended with a march after a special forces’ crackdown on the central Shota Rustaveli Avenue on Wednesday. The protesters reportedly marched along Kostava Street and reached the City Hall building. The participants ended the march before reaching the building of the State Security Service.
On Wednesday morning, protesters blocked Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue near Tbilisi State University. The action was peaceful, but late in the evening police officers deployed water cannons in response to some protesters launching pyrotechnics at them. Later, riot police pushed the demonstrators away from the territory of the parliament.
The protests in Georgia began on 28 November after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party would not include the EU accession talks on its agenda until the end of 2028. The authorities also withdrew financial support from the EU. Demonstrations take place in front of the parliament building every day, last all night and culminate in the dispersal of participants by riot police.
