Teargas, fireworks, water cannon used at Tbilisi protest after the country's EU bid was suspended

Описание: Thousands of demonstrators in the Georgian capital converged on parliament again on Tuesday, venting outrage against the governing party's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union.

Like on five previous nights, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to push back the protesters, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital's central boulevard.

Nearly 300 protesters have been detained, and 26 people, including three police officers, have been hospitalized with injuries.

The ruling Georgian Dream party retained control of parliament in the disputed Oct. 26 parliamentary election, which was widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations.

The opposition and the pro-Western president have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russia's help and boycotted parliament sessions.

Mass opposition protests sparked by the vote gained new momentum after the governing party's decision on Thursday to put the EU accession talks on hold.

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