Georgia: Fourth night of clashes in Tbilisi amid reports protests are spreading
Violence has broken out in Georgia for a fourth night in a row – with fireworks fired at police who hit back with tear gas and water cannon.
The unrest – over the freezing of talks to join the EU – also appears to be spreading beyond the capital Tbilisi.
People turned out again on Sunday evening on central Rustaveli Avenue, some wearing gas masks and others carrying Georgia and EU flags.
Police fired water cannon to drive back protesters. Pic: AP
“I’m here for a very simple reason, to defend my European future and the democracy of my country,” said protester Nikoloz Miruashvili.
Twenty-seven protesters, 16 police and one media worker were taken to hospital after Saturday night’s clashes, the interior ministry said on Sunday.
The trouble began after Prime Minister Kobakhidze announced talks on joining the EU would be delayed for another three years.
Some people wore masks to protect themselves from tear gas. Pic: AP
He said it was down to “blackmail” from the bloc – but many fear the government is becoming ever more authoritarian and wants to build closer ties with Russia instead of Europe.
The move to pause talks came after the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticising the ruling Georgian Dream party and condemning last month’s election as neither free nor fair.
Opposition parties claim the vote was rigged with the aid of Russia, with allegations of ballot box stuffing, intimidation and civil servants being forced to vote for the status quo.
Fireworks explode in front of the parliament building. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, who has a mostly ceremonial role, told Sky News: “They [protesters] saw this election stolen from them and since then, there is no recognition of the legitimacy of the parliament, where no opposition party has entered.
“It’s a one rule parliament, not legitimate, not recognised by our democracy partners.”
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Georgia government ‘not legitimate’
Joining the EU is overwhelmingly popular in Georgia, according to opinion polls, and the aim is enshrined in the constitution.
Protests are also said to be spreading elsewhere in the country of 3.7 million, located on the northeast border of Turkey and the southwestern frontier of Russia, which lies over the Greater Caucasus mountain range.
Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Local news agency Interpress said people had blocked an access road into the main commercial port of Poti on the Black Sea.
Georgian media reported protests in at least eight cities and towns, with TV channel Formula showing people in Khashuri throwing eggs at Georgian Dream’s office and tearing down the party’s flag.
Hundreds of diplomats and civil servants have also signed letters saying freezing talks on joining the EU is unlawful.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze has dismissed criticism by the US, which has said “excessive force” is being used against demonstrators.
The Kremlin has yet to officially comment but Dmitry Medvedev, a Russian ex-president who’s now a security official, said on Telegram that an attempted revolution was taking place.
He said Georgia was “moving rapidly along the Ukrainian path, into the dark abyss. Usually this sort of thing ends very badly”.
Russia launched a war against Georgia in 2008 over two breakaway provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas“.
Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.
It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report from last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.
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Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.
“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.
“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
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Gaza is ‘a slaughterhouse’ says surgeon
It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.
Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza – where it’s been conducting a military campaign in retaliation for 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023 – with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
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In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
Pro-Western candidate Nicusor Dan has unexpectedly beaten hard-right populist George Simion in the Romanian presidential election.
Mr Simion, 38, and his rival – a centrist who’s mayor of Bucharest – faced off in the second round of the contest.
According to the official tally, Mr Dan was leading by nearly nine percentage points with more than 98% of the votes counted.
Pic: Reuters
Mr Dan and his supporters celebrated the exit polls. Pic: Reuters
After exit polls suggested he wasn’t going to win, Trump-supporting Mr Simion rejected the result and said estimates put him 400,000 votes ahead.
Speaking after voting ended, Mr Simion said his election was “clear” as he posted on Facebook: “I won!!! I am the new President of Romania and I am giving back the power to the Romanians!”
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George Simion on Trump, the EU – and his message to UK
Romania’s last election was annulled after its highest court ruled the leading candidate, nationalist Calin Georgescu, should be disqualified due to claims of electoral interference by Russia.
The result is surprising because in the first round, 38-year-old Mr Simion, founder of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), took 40.96% of the vote – almost 20 points ahead.
George Simion rejected the polls but official counting saw him slip behind. Pic: Reuters
Supporters of Mr Dan celebrated on the streets of the capital Bucharest. Pic: AP
An opinion poll on Friday had it much closer, but still suggested the two men were virtually tied.
Mr Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, is running as an independent and has pledged to clamp down on corruption.
He is also staunchly pro-EU and NATO, and has said Romania’s support for Ukraine is vital for its own security.
When voting closed at 9pm local time, 11.6 million people – about 64% of eligible voters – had cast ballots. About 1.64 million Romanians living abroad also took part.
About 11.6 million people – 64% of eligible voters – cast ballots. Pic: AP
Read more from Sky News:
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The election is being closely watched across Europe amid a rise of support for President Donald Trump.
After polls closed, Mr Dan said “elections are not about politicians” but about communities and that in the latest vote “a community of Romanians has won, a community that wants a profound change in Romania”.
“When Romania goes through difficult times, let us remember the strength of this Romanian society,” he said.
“There is also a community that lost today’s elections. A community that is rightly outraged by the way politics has been conducted in Romania up to now.”
Israel has said it will allow a “basic quantity of food” into the besieged enclave of Gaza to avoid a “starvation crisis” following a near three-month blockade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the decision was “based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas”.
Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 people have died in Israel’s 19-month campaign, has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.
It comes as global food security experts warn of famine across the territory and after a UN-backed report issued last Monday which warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Israel ramps up bombing in Gaza
The statement from the prime minister’s office said it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.
“Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to defeat Hamas,” it added.
“Israel will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gaza is ‘a slaughterhouse’ says surgeon
It comes after a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News the enclave is now “a slaughterhouse” amid Israeli bombardment.
Israel has just ramped up its offensive in Gaza, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 130 people were killed overnight into Sunday.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed troops had begun “extensive ground operations throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck “over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations” over the past week.
Israel has launched an escalation to increase pressure on Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.
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