SHOCKING footage shows Georgia protesters clashing with riot cops after trying to storm the country’s presidential palace.
Riot police in capital Tbilisi used water cannons and pepper spray on Saturday to push back protesters amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
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Tens of thousands of people rallied in the capital, Tbilisi, to protest repressive policies by the governing party, Georgian Dream.
Dramatic footage showed hundreds of protestors carrying Georgian flags and placards supporting membership in the European Union.
Large groups of people were seen clashing with authorities.
Some then tried to force entry into the presidential palace in central Tbilisi, smashing the gate before being driven away by riot police.
Georgian police said the ongoing rally violated the country’s protest laws.
Cops were seen hurling tear bombs and shooting hordes of people with water canons.
The protest was organised amid frustration with a government that cracked down on dissent – jailing key opposition figures, attempting to shut down media, and using mass arrest and steep fines against peaceful demonstrators.
Critics see the party as trying to pull their country away from its democratic ideals – and into Russia’s orbit.
The opposition had promised a peaceful revolution before Saturday’s municipal election, boycotted by most parties critical of Georgian Dream.
Giorgi Rukhadze, a political analyst in Tbilisi who was one of the protesters marching on Saturday, dismissed the vote as a mock election.
Dissent grew after Georgian Dream halted talks about joining the EU last year, triggering waves of protests that have been met with mass arrests and police violence.
The move came after the longtime ruling party declared victory in an election the opposition said was rigged.
European election observers said October’s vote took place in a divisive atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze then announced his controversial EU membership pause.
His party said: “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.
He has been accused by the country’s president, a largely ceremonial role, Salome Zourabichvili, of being pro-Russia.
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The rallies, big and small, have continued despite a multipronged crackdown by the government through laws that target demonstrators, rights groups, nongovernmental organisations and independent media.
Critics say some have been modelled on legislation passed in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has harshly stifled dissent.
“We fight for our rights, for independence,” protester Sophio Asatiani said.
She said that she didn’t want to see a return to the Soviet era, when Georgia was ruled from Moscow.
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