Protests in Tbilisi: What happened on Monday night?

Protest rallies against the Georgian Government’s recent decision on the suspension of the country’s EU accession talks were continuing in the central streets of Tbilisi and in the vicinity of the Parliament building at night.

The demonstrators said they were not going to stop protesting, urging citizens to join the protest. 

The rally participants spent last night near the Parliament building, also marching on Freedom Square and towards the Rustaveli metro station area, which later were dispersed by the special forces by using water cannons and so-called gas capsules due to the situation becoming “tense several times”.

Special purpose units from Georgia’s Interior Ministry cleared the square in front of the parliamentary building by morning.

Members of the law enforcement have demanded that the protesters disperse, sometimes using water cannons.

The Georgian Interior Ministry called on protesters gathered on central Rustaveli Avenue “to express their protest peacefully and refrain from any illegal actions”.

According to the ministry, overall, 113 law enforcement officers have been injured with 21 sustaining wounds last night. They were provided with medical aid and four of them remain hospitalized, the ministry noted.

"Participants of the rally threw pyrotechnics in the direction of the building of the legislative body. In addition, with stones and various objects, they damaged windows of one of the offices located on the frontal and side facades of the Parliament. Herewith, ignited objects were thrown towards the legislative body, as a result of which a fire broke out in several rooms of the parliament building, which has been extinguished as of now," the statement reads.

A total of 224 individuals had been arrested for offences such as petty hooliganism and resistance to police during the protests, including 24 people last night.