STORY: :: Tbilisi, Georgia
:: December 2, 2024
:: Protesters launch fireworks at police
near Georgia’s parliament
:: There is growing unrest over moves
to freeze a bid for EU membership
Protesters were seen launching fireworks at the police lines near the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi following a protest which began on Sunday evening. Police responded by dousing the crowd with water cannons from trucks mobilised around Rustaveli Avenue.
Tensions have been rising for months in the country of 3.7 million people between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opponents who accuse it of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.
The crisis has deepened since Thursday’s (November 28) announcement that the government would freeze EU talks for four years, with thousands of pro-EU demonstrators facing off against police armed with tear gas and water cannon.