Protesters in Tbilisi Clash With Georgian Police

Protesters clashed with the police in the Republic of Georgia’s capital late into the night on Sunday during the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations over the recently elected government’s suspension of its bid to join the European Union.

The Black Sea country of 3.7 million has been rocked by protests since Thursday, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government would stall the process of E.U. accession — a goal enshrined in the country’s Constitution — until 2028. He also said the government would refuse all grants by the 27-member bloc, which are usually worth tens of millions of dollars annually.

As on previous nights, thousands of demonstrators, many clad in the country’s red-and-white flag, gathered in front of the Georgian Parliament building, pointing green lasers and expressing their opposition to the new government’s policy.

Later on Sunday, the police used water cannons and water from fire hydrants to disperse protesters, who shot off firecrackers and other fireworks in response, according to videos shared from the scene.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday morning that protests overnight had “evolved into violence.” It claimed that protesters “threw pyrotechnics” and “ignited objects” toward police officers and at Parliament, causing a fire to break out. Windows were smashed by “stones and various objects,” the ministry added in a statement, saying that protesters also had damaged protective iron barriers around the building.

More than 150 people had been arrested as of Saturday night, according to the ministry, which also said that several police officers and 42 of its employees had been hurt since the protests began.