Georgia: Dozens of protesters were arrested, security forces used tear gas and water cannons

After the ninth consecutive night of pro-European protests in Tbilisi, Georgian police arrested several dozen protesters.

Protests flare up in Georgia against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union (EU).

Demonstrators demand new elections and a return to European integration.

Security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of people gathered outside the parliament in Tbilisi on Friday night (December 6th).

"48 people were arrested for disobeying legitimate police orders and petty hooliganism," the Ministry of the Interior stated in a statement.

The crisis in Georgia has been ongoing since the ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory in disputed elections on October 26.

The government, which critics accuse of growing authoritarianism and rapprochement with Russia, announced the suspension of EU accession talks last Sunday, sparking a new wave of protests.

The harsh response of the authorities caused outrage in the country and growing international condemnation.

Hundreds of people were arrested, and the human rights ombudsman accused the police of torturing detainees, many of whom reported abuse, with visible injuries.

Demonstrations on Friday (December 6) were largely peaceful until police began clearing the area, AFP reporters reported.

Clashes broke out when police officers began arresting protesters, while they fired fireworks at security forces.

The Interior Ministry said police dispersed the crowd after "some of the protesters' actions took on a violent character," including verbally abusing police officers and throwing stones.

One policeman was injured, the ministry added.

Human rights ombudsman Levan Loseliani stated that the police "had no legal basis for dispersing a peaceful assembly".

After the action, smaller groups of protesters continued to march through the streets of the capital and block central roads, while the police arrested them.

As in previous evenings, the protest lasted until dawn and is expected to continue on Saturday (December 7).

Thousands of people also protested in the second largest city, Batumi, on the Black Sea coast.

Given that both sides refuse to compromise, there is no way out of the crisis in sight.

The United States, France and Germany are among Western countries that have condemned the violence against the protesters.

But the government shows no signs of backing down.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze praised security forces for "successfully neutralizing the protesters' capacity for violence" after raids on opposition party offices and arrests of opposition leaders.

"We have won an important battle against liberal fascism in our country," the prime minister declared at a press conference, using rhetoric similar to that of the Kremlin.

However, demonstrators rejected Kobahidze's characterization of the protest.

"The vast majority of people here are not affiliated with political parties," Aleksandar Kavtaradze, a 35-year-old academic who attended the protest, told AFP.

"We are here because we believe in the European democratic future of our country," he said.

"People are ready to fight as long as it takes," 37-year-old Adi told AFP.

Critics of the Georgian Dream are outraged, as they say, by the fact that officials betrayed the citizens' aspiration for EU membership, which is written into the country's Constitution. About 80 percent of citizens want Georgia to join the EU.

Several ambassadors, the deputy foreign minister and other officials have resigned due to the suspension of EU membership negotiations.

The Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, has passed controversial laws in recent years that target civil society, independent media and limit the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Brussels has warned that such policies are incompatible with EU membership, while domestic critics accuse the government of copying Russia's tactics.