Georgian police arrest over 100 at anti-government protest (VIDEOS)
At least ten law enforcement officers have been injured in clashes with demonstrators in Tbilisi | Police detained several dozen protesters at demonstrations in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Friday night during unrest that ensued after opposition parties denounced the government’s decision to freeze Georgia’s EU accession talks. ● According to a statement released on Saturday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at least 107 activists have been detained “for disobedience” and “petty hooliganism.” ● Crowds of protesters have been flocking to Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue since Thursday evening, when Georgia’s French-born president, Salome Zourabichvili, accused the country’s ruling Georgian Dream party of declaring “war” on its own people by postponing EU accession negotiations until 2028. ● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said earlier on Thursday that his government does not renounce the goal of joining the bloc eventually, but won’t take steps to do it now. He accused Brussels of using the talks to meddle in Georgian politics, saying that the country should not bow to “constant blackmail and manipulation” from EU officials.