Georgia protesters clash with police after EU membership talks suspended

Unrest in Georgia after government suspends EU accession talks – video

Police have clashed with protesters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, after the country’s ruling party said the government would suspend talks on EU accession until 2028.

The interior ministry on Friday reported the arrest of 43 protesters, with three police officers injured, two of whom were taken to hospital.

Police fired water cannon and deployed pepper spray and teargas to disperse protesters as masked people tried to smash their way into the parliament. Some protesters threw fireworks at police while shouting “Russians” and “slaves”.

Thousands of pro-EU protesters had blocked streets in the capital before the altercations began. The country’s outgoing pro-EU figurehead president, Salome Zourabichvili, accused the government of declaring “war” on its own people and confronted riot police, asking whether they served Georgia or Russia.

“Today marks a significant point, or rather, the conclusion of the constitutional coup that has been unfolding for several weeks,” she told a news conference alongside opposition leaders. “Today, this nonexistent and illegitimate government declared war on its own people,” she added, calling herself the country’s “sole legitimate representative”.

The government announcement came hours after the European parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s 26 October parliamentary elections, alleging “significant irregularities”.

The resolution called for new elections within a year under international supervision and for sanctions to be imposed on top Georgian officials from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, including the prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze.

“Georgian Dream didn’t win the elections, it staged a coup. There is no legitimate parliament or government in Georgia,” said Shota Sabashvili, a 20-year-old protester. “We will not let this self-proclaimed prime minister destroy our European future.”

Georgia’s relations with the EU have deteriorated sharply in recent months as Brussels has alleged that the government had resorted to authoritarian measures and adopted pro-Russian stances.

The ruling GD party says it is not pro-Russian and that it is committed to democracy and integration with the west. It says it still wants to join the EU eventually, but has repeatedly engaged in diplomatic feuds with Brussels in recent years, while deepening ties with neighbouring Russia.

GD has accused the EU of “a cascade of insults”, saying in a statement it was using the prospect of accession talks to “blackmail” the country, and to “organise a revolution in the country”.

As a result, it said: “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028. Also, we refuse any budgetary grant from the European Union until the end of 2028.”

The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million has the aim of EU accession written into its constitution and has long been among the most pro-western of the Soviet Union’s successor states.

Within months of the downturn in relations, the EU had said Georgia’s application for membership was frozen.