Thousands of demonstrators protesting the Georgian government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the EU rallied outside the parliament and clashed with the police for a second straight night on Friday.

The night before, the police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who took to the streets of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party announced the suspension. The interior ministry said it detained 43 people during the protests.

On Friday evening, protesters again swarmed the parliament, with some trying to break the metal gates to the building. Riot police used water cannons to push them away from the building and later moved to force them farther back along the Rustaveli Avenue.

Some of the protesters used garbage bins and benches to try to build barricades. Clashes between the police and protesters also erupted late on Friday in the Black Sea port of Batumi.

Georgian Dream’s disputed victory in the October 26 election, which was widely seen as a referendum on the country’s aspirations to join the EU, has sparked massive demonstrations and led to an Opposition boycott of the parliament. The Opposition said the vote was rigged under the influence of Russia seeking to keep Georgia in its orbit.

AP