For the second night running, police deployed tear gas and made heavy use of water cannon against the demonstrators. Earlier, more than 100 diplomats and civil servants in Georgia signed an open letter saying the government's decision does not align with Georgia's strategic interests.

Georgian riot police in Tbilisi have violently cracked down on a pro-EU demonstration sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s earlier announcement that Georgia was halting its EU membership bid “until 2028.

Police clashed with protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi early on Friday, after the country’s ruling party said the government would suspend talks on European Union accession and refuse budgetary grants until 2028.

Georgian police and special forces cleared protesters and barricades from the main avenue in Tbilisi after a second night of clashes, triggered by the ruling party announcement that it will delay talks with the European Union on membership.

Georgia has been rocked by protests after its increasingly autocratic government said it would halt the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union.

Georgian riot police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators protesting a government decision to delay pursuing European Union accession.

Georgia has suspended its bid to join the European Union, prompting thousands of protesters to take to the streets, where they clashed with police in the capital of Tbilisi.

Georgia detained 107 people in the capital city of Tbilisi overnight during a protest against the government's decision to halt European Union accession talks, the country's interior ministry reported on Saturday.