pro-EU Georgians clash for second night at protests over accession freeze

30/11/2024 6:28

        Pro-European Union Georgians were gathering on Friday for a second night of protests, after the country's ruling party said on Thursday that it was halting EU accession talks until 2028, in an abrupt freeze to a long-standing national aim.
        
        EU accession is overwhelmingly popular in Georgia according to opinion polls, and the move saw thousands protest outside the parliament building in Tbilisi on Thursday, with riot police using water cannon and gas to disperse them.
        
        Again on Friday thousands massed outside the Soviet-built, fortress-like legislature, carrying EU and Georgian flags. Water cannon were idling nearby, amid a major deployment by police and special forces.