Georgia arrests 107 protestors against 'stop discussions on EU membership'

Georgia's Interior Ministry said on the 30th local time it had arrested and detained 107 people among protesters protesting the suspension of EU membership negotiations.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said 107 people were detained on charges of violence and defiance of police orders during a two-day protest near the capital, Tbilisi, on Saturday, according to foreign media.

He also explained that protesters damaged facilities, barricades, doors and CCTVs near the parliament, set fire to various objects, and that 10 police officers were injured due to violence by protesters.

He added that the police used legal special measures to restore order.

Foreign media said Georgia police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons on protesters and reporters, and police beat protesters.

It also reported that police and special forces used water cannons overnight to push out protesters and secure congressional entrances.

The protests were sparked by Georgia's government, a candidate for EU membership, announcing that it would not treat EU membership as a national issue within the new parliament's term in the wake of the pro-Russian ruling party's general election victory.

Georgia Prime Minister Irakli Kovahidze, who won a second term with a victory in the general election, announced at a briefing on the 28th that he would not treat the start of EU accession negotiations as a national issue until the end of 2028 and would not receive EU budget subsidies, raising opposition from the pro-EU camp.