Thousands take to Georgia's streets for third night after EU talks halted

Protesters person taken to the streets of Tbilisi for the 3rd nighttime successful a enactment to protestation against the government's determination to enactment EU accession negotiations connected hold.

Large numbers of riot constabulary person been deployed astir the country's parliament, the focal constituent of the ongoing protests, which person seen constabulary person deploy h2o cannon and teardrop state successful caller days.

Demonstrations are besides taking spot successful the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, and successful different Georgian regions.

Georgia's pro-EU president Salome Zourabisvhili told the BBC she volition enactment successful station until caller parliamentary elections are held.

She said volition clasp her relation arsenic president, contempt the country's newly-elected parliament saying it would take her replacement connected 14 December.

Zourabisvhili has claimed the existent parliament is "illegitimate" aft absorption MPs alleged fraud successful past month's elections.

Hundreds of civilian servants person signed letters expressing their disapproval of the government's determination to enactment negotiations with the EU connected hold, saying it went against the nationalist interests of Georgia.

Georgian ambassadors to Bulgaria, Netherlands and Italy person besides resigned.

Since 2012, Georgia has been governed by Georgian Dream, a enactment which critics accidental has tried to determination the state distant from the EU and person to Russia.

The enactment claimed triumph successful past month's predetermination but absorption MPs are boycotting the caller parliament, alleging fraud.

On Thursday, the European Parliament backed a resolution, describing the predetermination arsenic the latest signifier successful Georgia's "worsening antiauthoritarian crisis" and saying that the ruling enactment was "fully responsible".

Following the resolution, Georgia's premier curate said his authorities had "decided not to bring up the contented of joining the European Union connected the docket until the extremity of 2028".

A radical of nationalist figures, writers and journalists person been protesting extracurricular the country's nationalist broadcaster successful the superior Tbilisi, accusing it of being a mouthpiece for the country's ruling party.

“The nationalist broadcaster indispensable beryllium freed from the power of the Russians and the unit of the regime,” said writer and activistic Lasha Bugadze.

“The nationalist broadcaster covers the full of Georgia and they are brainwashing our colonisation with propaganda, radical who whitethorn not beryllium definite what is going on,” helium said.

Four absorption coalitions and parties that won seats successful past month's parliamentary elections but refused to instrumentality up their mandates citing wide ballot rigging person issued a associated statement, calling for caller elections nether planetary supervision.

“Parties with a morganatic mandate of the Georgian radical volition face the illegitimate authorities of Georgian Dream and the systemic unit against peaceful demonstrators and journalists,” work the statement.

The US has condemned the "excessive usage of force" successful Georgia and called connected each sides to guarantee the protests stay peaceful.

"The Georgian radical overwhelmingly enactment integration with Europe," a connection from the State Department said.

Some 150 radical were detained pursuing the 29 November protests successful the superior Tbilisi. Police utilized h2o cannon, teardrop state and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

At dawn connected 30 November the constabulary crackdown intensified arsenic they began chasing the demonstrators, kicking and beating them with batons.

The country's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that 50 constabulary officers were injured astatine the hands of "violent protesters who threw Molotov cocktails, pyrotechnics, glass, stones astatine the police".

Kobakhidze has besides lashed retired astatine European politicians for "hurling a cascade of insults" astatine the Georgian government.