Pro-EU protests in Georgia escalate

President Zourabichvili has once again denounced the government. “Another violent night in Tbilisi. The illegitimate government resorts to illegal means to silence Georgians standing firm for their constitutional, European choice,” she wrote on X in early hours on Sunday.

Zourabichvili, a former French diplomat, said earlier that she will not step down until the country has “a legitimately elected parliament.” Her presidential term expires this month.

According to news website Civil Georgia, the police have pushed the protesters from the parliament building. The officers fired volleys of tear gas and reportedly made arrests.

The officers dismantled the large barricade previously erected by protesters.

Protesters began throwing Molotov cocktails at the police. They previously attempted to break the windows of the parliament building and have set small fires.

Georgia’s ambassador to Lithuania, Salome Shapakidze, became the latest diplomat to announce her resignation following the government’s decision to suspend the EU accession talks. 

“It was an honor and privilege to serve my country’s national interests for more than a decade,” she wrote on X. “Georgia is Europe!”

Georgia’s envoy to the Netherlands and Bulgaria, as well as its acting ambassador to Italy, tendered their resignations earlier this week.

The atmosphere outside the parliament remains tense as police attempt to control the angry crowd.

The US State Department described Georgian Dream’s decision to suspend EU accession talks as “a betrayal of the Georgian Constitution.” 

“We condemn excessive force used against Georgians exercising their freedom to protest and have suspended our Strategic Partnership with Georgia,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X.

Protesters ripped up public benches and used them to erect a larger barricade on the street next to the front of the parliament. The barricade is facing police reinforcements with more water cannons, RT correspondent Charlotte Dubenskij reports.

The rioters set up a small makeshift barricade and pelted the officers with stones in the narrow alleyway adjacent to the parliament building.

A group of rioters showed up armed with sticks and wearing helmets. They were launching fireworks at the officers guarding the back side of the parliament.

Although the crowd was initially peaceful, some protesters began throwing objects and launching fireworks at the officers, who responding with a water cannon.