Thousands of pro-EU protesters march on Georgia parliament

Thousands of protesters marched in the Georgian capital Tbilisi Saturday for the 10th day of rallies sparked by a disputed election and the government's decision to shelve EU accession talks.

Demanding fresh elections and a return to European integration, the demonstrators headed towards the Black Sea country's parliament, undeterred by a crackdown on pro-EU protesters the day before.

Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the thousands of people who had likewise gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Friday evening, while Georgian police said they had made 48 arrests.

The Caucasus nation has been engulfed in turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party declared victory in a disputed October 26 election.

The government, which critics accuse of creeping authoritarianism and of steering the country back towards Russia, last week said it would suspend talks to join the European Union, sparking a fresh wave of demonstrations.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky -- whose country has been fighting a Russian invasion for almost three years -- said on Saturday he fully backed Georgia's anti-government protesters.

Zelensky, who has warned of Russian influence in Georgia for months, urged Tbilisi to stop "surrendering" to Moscow in a meeting with the country's pro-EU president Salome Zurabishvili in Paris.

Preventing Georgian Dream "from surrendering the country to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is essential for the stability and future of the region", Zelensky told Zurabishvili.

Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the ruling party -- has denounced widespread fraud in October's parliamentary polls, and branded the freshly elected legislature and government "illegitimate".

- 'Last chance' -

Blowing horns and whistles, pro-European protesters marched from Tbilisi State University towards parliament for a new night of demos, blocking one of the city's main traffic arteries, an AFP reporter witnessed.

As on previous nights, some demonstrators banged on the metal barriers blocking the parliament's entrance, while others pointed laser beams at the building and the police blocking the adjacent streets.

"They are trying to arrest us, punish us, but we won't back down, we are not afraid," said 19-year-old protester Giorgi Romanadze. "This is our last chance to be free, to be happy. We want Europe, and Europe only."

Some demonstrators held signs reading "We demand free and fair elections" and "Free all unjustly arrested," as calls for stronger international backing grew louder among the protesters.

"We are fighting for our freedom, for our membership in the European Union, and we want the international community to help us," said 32-year-old Teona Chakvetadze.

"We need the international community to sanction our oligarchs and this illegitimate government so they feel the pressure, and we know we are not alone. We can't win this fight on our own."

The heavy-handed response to the protest has triggered outrage at home and mounting international condemnation.

Officers have made hundreds of arrests. The country's rights ombudsman has accused the police of "torture" against those detained, with scores reporting mistreatment or showing visible injuries.

Rights ombudsman Levan Ioseliani said police "had no legal grounds for the dispersal of a peaceful rally" on Friday.

- Long fight -

With both sides ruling out a compromise, there appeared to be no clear route out of the crisis.

The United States, France and Germany are among the Western countries to have denounced the crackdown on protests.

But the government has refused to back down.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has praised his security forces for "successfully neutralising the protesters' capacity for violence", after several opposition party offices were raided and opposition leaders arrested.

"We have won an important battle against liberal fascism in our country," he told a news conference, using language reminiscent of how the Kremlin in Russia targets its political opponents.

Yet demonstrators remained defiant and rejected Kobakhidze's characterisation of the protest movement.

Thousands have also staged daily protests across Georgia, including the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Zugdidi, and Telavi, local media reported

"People are ready to fight for as long as it takes," said Adi, 37, a winemaker, protesting in the capital.

Critics of Georgian Dream are enraged by what they call its betrayal of the country's bid for EU membership, enshrined in the constitution and supported by around 80 percent of the population.

Several ambassadors, a deputy foreign minister and other officials have resigned over the suspension of EU talks.

Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, has advanced controversial legislation in recent years, targeting civil society and independent media and curbing LGBTQ rights.

Brussels warned such policies were incompatible with EU membership, while domestic critics accuse the government of copying Russia's playbook.