RIOT cops fired tear gas and beat up men as they battled raging protesters who gathered across Georgia for a third night of violence.
Violence escalated as protesters attempted to storm the parliament building, prompting police to respond with tear gas and rubber bullets. Dozens were injured in the clashes, including both protesters and police officers.
More than 100 people were arrested as crowds clashed with riot cops armed with tear gas. bombs.
Dramatic footage captured protesters hurling fireworks at masked officers in riot gear who were firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the masses.
Flames were seen coming from a window of the parliament building as protestors erected barricades on Tbilisi’s main avenue.
Many were chased and beaten by police as demonstrators rallied in front of the country’s parliament building.
Georgia plunged into crisis when the country’s newly-elected government put a pause on its long-standing bid to join the EU until 2028.
The Georgian Dream party has also been accused of using Vladimir Putin and his tactics to rig the election.
Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia’s Prime Minister and leader of the Georgian Dream party, claimed victory in last month’s parliamentary elections.
The opposition claimed the party’s 54% victory was the product of Russian interference.
Hours earlier the EU called for these elections to be re-run after they cited “significant irregularities.”
European election observers said October’s vote took place in a divisive atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze accused the group of “blackmail” before he announced his controversial EU membership pause.
His party said: “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.
He has been accused by the country’s president, a largely ceremonial role, Salome Zourabichvili, of being pro-Russia.
Zourabichvili urged Georgians to fight the government’s most recent decision.
The president said in a televised speech: “This country is returning to Russia, which we barely got rid of.”
She has now said the country’s government is “not legitimate” and demanded fresh elections.
“We are not demanding a revolution. We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again,” Zourabichvili said.
“Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen.”
Pro-Putin claims against the Georgian Dream party also increased after their nomination to replace Zourabichvili with an anti-Western president, when her term ends in December, was announced.
The Kremlin has denied all claims about Russian interference in the election and claimed Zourabichvili was “attempting to destabilise the situation”.
Kobakhidze also said Georgia would reject any budgetary grants from the EU until the end of 2028.
Critics have accused the Georgian Dream established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow.
The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
