More than 100 people were detained in a massive pro-EU rally in Tbilisi on November 29 as Georgian police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement on November 30 that 107 demonstrators were detained for alleged “hooliganism” and failing to follow police orders.
The ministry said protesters had “verbally and physically” assaulted police officers and had thrown various objects at security forces.
Various videos from the rally showed police officers beating protesters.
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Georgian Police Kick And Slap Protesters In Tbilisi
Protesters have hit the streets since November 28 after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said his government was suspending EU accession talks and would reject budgetary grants from Brussels "until the end of 2028."
Reacting to the crackdown, Kobakhidze suggested on November 30 that there were "isolated" incidents of police brutality but "systemic violence" against security forces by protesters.
"On one side, there was violence, on the other side there were incidents," he said in a press conference.
On the first night of protests, some 43 demonstrators were detained "as a result of illegal and violent actions,” according to the Interior Ministry.
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RFE/RL Journalist Attacked As Protests Erupt After Government Spurns EU
Georgia has been thrown into turmoil since parliamentary elections in October -- in which the ruling Georgian Dream party secured 54 percent of the vote -- with the opposition and Western governments arguing that the poll was marred by violations and Russian influence.
Kobakhidze on November 30 said the a "difficult" few months lay ahead of Georgia but added that he expects relations with the West to "reset."
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Georgian Special Forces Attack Current Time Cameraman During Massive Protests In Tbilisi (Video)
President Salome Zurabishvili, an ardent critic of Georgian Dream, condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media", likening the crackdown on November 29 to "Russian-style repression."
The next day, she urged the Georgian diaspora to “wake up” and help protesters by speaking to the media and appealing to the authorities where they live.
“[You] can no longer be silent and pretend nothing is happening in the homeland,” she wrote on Facebook.
On November 28, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for new legislative elections in Georgia and sanctions on senior members of the Georgian Dream party.
In its resolution, the European Parliament said the election result election did "not serve as a reliable representation of the will of the Georgian people."
It also called on the European Union, which froze Georgia's EU membership application last month, to place sanctions on key officials within the ruling party, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Gharibashvili, billionaire power broker and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.