Georgia arrests 107 more people as pro-EU protests continue

TBILISI, GEORGIA — 

Georgia connected Saturday said authorities arrested 107 radical during a 2nd time of protests sparked by the government's determination to hold European Union rank talks.

The Black Sea federation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream enactment claimed triumph successful an October 26 parliamentary predetermination that the pro-EU absorption said was fraudulent.

The Interior Ministry said 107 radical were detained for "disobedience to lawful constabulary orders and petty hooliganism."

"Throughout the nighttime ... protesters threw assorted objects, including stones, pyrotechnics, solid bottles and metallic items, astatine instrumentality enforcement officers," it said, adding that "10 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were injured."

The ministry earlier said 32 constabulary officers were wounded and 43 protestors detained connected Thursday.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's connection Thursday that Georgia volition not question to unfastened accession talks with the European Union until 2028 ignited a furious absorption from the absorption and 2 days of protests.

He aboriginal accused the absorption and the EU ambassador to Georgia of distorting his words. He insisted rank successful the bloc "by 2030" remains his "top priority."

'Resistance movement'

On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot constabulary occurrence h2o cannons and teardrop state astatine pro-EU protesters gathered extracurricular the parliament successful Tbilisi, who tossed eggs and fireworks.

Clashes broke retired aboriginal betwixt protesters and police, who moved successful to wide the country extracurricular parliament, beating demonstrators, immoderate of whom threw objects.

Independent TV presumption Pirveli said 1 of its journalists was hospitalized with superior injuries.

Protests were besides held successful different cities crossed Georgia connected Friday, autarkic TV presumption Mtavari reported.

Pro-Western absorption parties are boycotting the caller parliament, portion President Salome Zurabishvili has sought to annul the predetermination results done the country's law court.

In a televised code to the federation connected Friday evening, the pro-Western president — who is astatine loggerheads with the ruling enactment — said: "The absorption question has begun. ... I basal successful solidarity with it. We volition stay agreed until Georgia achieves its goals: to instrumentality to its European path, unafraid caller elections."

'Brutal repression'

After the October vote, a radical of Georgia's starring predetermination monitors said they had grounds of a analyzable strategy of large-scale electoral fraud.

Brussels has demanded an probe into what it said were "serious irregularities" reported by predetermination monitors.

Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously Thursday for Kobakhidze to proceed arsenic premier minister, adjacent arsenic the absorption boycotted parliament, which faces a superior legitimacy crisis.

"Police actions successful Tbilisi people different punitive onslaught connected the close to peaceful assembly," said Amnesty International.

France, Britain, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden and Lithuania were among the countries to dependable concern.

The Council of Europe condemned what it described arsenic "brutal repression," urging Georgia to stay "faithful to European values."

In caller years, critics accused Georgian Dream — successful powerfulness for much than a decennary — of moving the state distant from Europe and person to Russia.