Georgia protests rage on: Tens of thousands demonstrate against govt’s EU membership decision

A demonstrator uses a firecracker against police during a rally against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years, outside the parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.

Protesters with Georgian national flags shout toward police during a rally against the governments' decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years, outside the parliament's building in Tbilisi, Georgia. (AP)

Protests in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, have entered their third consecutive night, sparked by the government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. The demonstrations have turned violent, with police using water cannons and tear gas on protesters, resulting in 44 people being hospitalized . (AP)

Tens of thousands of protesters converged outside the parliament building in Georgia on Saturday night, expressing their discontent through stones, fireworks, and a dramatic burning of Bidzina Ivanishvili's effigy. Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has extensive business ties to Russia, which has become a focal point of controversy. (AP)

Police use a water cannon to block protesters holding Georgian national flags during a rally against the governments' decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years, outside the parliament's building in Tbilisi, Georgia. (AP)

A demonstrator warms himself at a fire during a rally against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years, outside the parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia. (AP)

A masked demonstrator throws an object toward police during a rally against the governments' decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union for four years, outside the parliament's building in Tbilisi, Georgia. (AP)