TBILISI, Dec 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Georgian police said on Saturday they
arrested dozens of people during a crackdown on pro-EU protesters who rallied
Friday for a ninth consecutive day against the government decision to shelve
talks on joining the bloc.

Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the thousands of
people who had gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi in the evening to
demand fresh elections and a return to European integration.

"Law enforcement detained 48 individuals for disobedience to lawful police
orders and petty hooliganism," the interior ministry said in a statement.

The Caucasus nation has been engulfed in turmoil since the governing Georgian
Dream party declared that it had won a disputed October 26 election.

The government which critics accuse of creeping authoritarianism and of
steering the country back towards Russia, last week said it would suspend
talks to join the European Union, sparking a fresh wave of demonstrations.

Authorities' heavy-handed response has triggered outrage at home and mounting
international condemnation.

Hundreds of arrests have been made. The country's rights ombudsman has
accused the police of "torture" against those detained, with scores reporting
mistreatment or showing visible injuries.

Friday night's demonstration had been largely peaceful until riot police
moved in to clear the area, AFP reporters saw. Scuffles ensued with police
making arrests and protesters launching fireworks at security forces.

The interior ministry said authorities dispersed the crowd after the "actions
of some of the people at the protest took on a violent character," with some
verbally abusing police officers and throwing stones at them.

One policeman was injured by a firework, it added.

Rights ombudsman Levan Ioseliani said police "had no legal grounds for the
dispersal of a peaceful rally."

After the crackdown, smaller groups of demonstrators marched through the
streets of the capital and blocked traffic on a central road, with police
chasing after them and snatching some protesters.

- 'As long as it takes' -

As on several previous nights, the protest ended at dawn and is expected to
resume on Saturday.

With both sides ruling out a compromise, there appeared to be no clear route
out of the crisis.

The United States, France and Germany are among the Western countries to have
denounced the crackdown on protests.

But the government has refused to back down.

Before Friday's rally, the prime minister had praised his security forces for
"successfully neutralising the protesters' capacity for violence", after
several opposition party offices were raided and opposition leaders arrested.

"We have won an important battle against liberal fascism in our country,"
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told a news conference, using language
reminiscent of how the Kremlin in Russia targets its political opponents.

Yet, demonstrators remained defiant and rejected Kobakhidze's
characterisation of the protest movement.

"The vast majority of people here are not affiliated with any parties," said
Alexander Kavtaradze, 35, an academic who attended Friday's rally in Tbilisi.

"We're here because we believe in the European democratic future of this
country."

Thousands have also staged anti-government rallies in the second city of
Batumi on the Black Sea coast.

"People are ready to fight for as long as it takes," said Adi, 37, a
winemaker, protesting in the capital.

Critics of Georgian Dream are enraged by what they call its betrayal of
Tbilisi's bid for EU membership, enshrined in the constitution and supported
by around 80 percent of the population.

Several ambassadors, a deputy foreign minister and other officials have
resigned over the suspension of EU talks.

Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, has advanced controversial
legislation in recent years, targeting civil society and independent media
and curbing LGBTQ rights.

Brussels warned such policies were incompatible with EU membership, while
domestic critics accuse the government of copying Russia's playbook.