Many thousands of protests took place for the eighth consecutive night in Georgia over the government's announcement last Thursday to freeze the country's European integration for 4 years, BNR reported.
"Agence France-Presse" reports that in addition to Tbilisi, demonstrations were also held last night in other cities in the country, including Batumi and Kutaisi.
On Wednesday and Thursday, authorities raided the headquarters of opposition parties. Nika Gvaramia - one of the leaders of the opposition - was beaten and arrested unconscious. Another, Alexander Elisashvili, was hospitalized, with his party claiming he was beaten in custody.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who denies carrying out repression, vowed yesterday to root out the opposition, which was both liberal and fascist.
"We will do everything possible to completely destroy liberal fascism," the prime minister said, quoted by BTA.
Kobakhidze's government, which has been accused of authoritarianism and sympathies for Russia, is trying to put an end to the protest movement by force, with three opposition leaders being arrested yesterday. The prime minister has repeatedly claimed, without providing evidence, that the protest movement aims to lead to a revolution and is funded from abroad.
"This type of funding fuels radicalism in Georgia, widens divisions and, even more worryingly, generates liberal fascism," said Kobakhidze, who regularly accuses NGOs of being agents of foreign influence acting against the government.
Georgia has been gripped by a serious political crisis since the October 26 parliamentary elections, which were won by the ruling Georgian Dream party and which the opposition said were marred by fraud. Large-scale protests began on November 28 after the government said it was suspending negotiations to join the European Union until 2028.