Protests Over Georgia's Halting EU Bid

Police clashed with protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi early today after the country's ruling party said the government would stop talks on its application to join the European Union. Police clashed with pro-European Union protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi early on Friday. Demonstrations broke out overnight after the country's ruling party said Thursday it would suspend talks on joining the EU until 2028. Of course we're upset, we're so angry, it's literally beyond embarrassing. What this government is doing to us, it's literally like, this is really... Police ordered protesters to disperse, fired water cannons and deployed pepper spray and tear gas as massed young people tried to smash their way into the parliament. Some protesters tossed fireworks at police while shouting Russians and slaves. Local media reported that protests erupted in several provincial cities as well. The country's figurehead president accused the government of declaring war on its own people. He asked riot police whether they served Georgia or neighboring Russia. Georgia has long been among the most pro-Western of the former Soviet states. Opinion polls show that around 80% of citizens support EU membership, and the aim of EU accession is written into the country's constitution. The bloc's flag flies alongside the national flag outside virtually all government buildings. However, Georgia's relations with the EU have deteriorated sharply in recent months, with Brussels alleging that the Georgian Dream governing bloc had adopted pro-Russian stands, and pushed through bills that critics have called authoritarian, including curbs on LGBT rights and so-called foreign agents. Those moves led the EU to suspend Georgia's application for membership. Georgia Dream denies that it is pro-Russian and says it is committed to democracy and integration with the West. The party says it still wants to join the EU eventually, though it has, in recent years, deepened ties with Russia.