Mass protests in Georgia fuelled by the governing party’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the EU entered a second week on Thursday, as police cracked down on protesters with increasing force.

Protesters used fireworks against riot police in Tbilisi, Georgia, late on Saturday (30 November), during a third night of demonstrations against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union.

Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas every day to disperse the rallies and beat scores of protesters who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital’s central boulevard.