Georgians protesting the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks clashed with security forces outside parliament in the capital Tbilisi on Saturday evening.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets for the third night in a row. The protests, which have seen over a hundred arrested, have been the biggest since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October’s contested parliamentary elections.
Georgia: Suspension of EU bid reignites protests in Tbilisi
What happened at the protests?
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and used water cannons in an effort to disperse the rallies. Protesters outside parliament used fireworks, with flames reportedly seen coming out of a parliament building window.
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Some of the protesters set up barricades on Tbilisi’s main avenue. Others on the steps of parliament burned an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Dream party’s founder and Georgia’s richest man.
“I am afraid — I won’t hide it — that many people will get injured, but I am not afraid to stand here,” 39-year-old Tamar Gelashvili told the French AFP news agency near the parliament building earlier in the day.
The Interior Ministry said that “the actions of some individuals present at the protest became violent shortly after the demonstration began.”
“Police will respond appropriately and in accordance with the law to every violation,” it said.
Police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse the protestsImage: Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Photo/pictiure alliance
Protests also took place in various other cities across Georgia.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had accused the pro-EU opposition of plotting a revolution, while the State Security Service said political parties were trying to “overthrow the government by force.”
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EU membership is a highly popular goal in the former Soviet republic. Tbilisi is flooded with EU flags, often placed by residents at their own windows.
“The people of Georgia are trying to protect their constitution, trying to protect their country and the state, and they are trying to tell our government that rule of law means everything,” protester Tina Kupreishvili told the Reuters news agency outside parliament.
Georgia needed eight overtimes to survive an upset scare against Georgia Tech and keep their College Football Playoff chances alive. While the thriller at Sanford Stadium provided great cinema, it also brought college football’s overtime rules into question.
In the first overtime period, each team gets a possession at the opponent’s 25-yard line. If the game is still tied, another period is played with the same parameters. However, if the game is still tied after two overtimes, we have a “2-point conversion-off” where both teams alternate 2-point conversion attempts to determine a winner.
The process is certainly fun, but it’s probably not the best way to end a football game. The ending of the 44-42 Georgia marathon win over Georgia Tech brought the validity of college football’s overtime rules front and center:
Well that was awesome, even if I’m not wild about the 2-point OT rule.
The Bulldogs have secured a spot in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Georgia is set to battle the winner of Saturday’s matchup between Texas and Texas A&M. The heartbreaking loss dropped the Yellow Jackets to 7-5 as they now await to see where they will head for their bowl game.
“Never say die, man. They’re fighters. I thought Carson did a great job in the two-minute offense. (Offensive Coordinator Mike) Bobo did an outstanding job calling it. Scored quick enough that we didn’t have to onside. Then we were going to get a stop on them and it helped us even more that we got a turnover there. It was a great comeback.”
On Carson Beck’s play late in the game…
“Huge. Carson (Beck) made a lot of big throws to get us into the overtime. I thought we had a chance to convert on some of the two points there where we had time in the pocket and there was a lot of red zone defense played out of both defenses on those two-point conversions. In the end Nate (Frazier) made a great play, great run and Carson made a great decision.”
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On the challenges of the Georgia Tech offense…
“It’s really hard. They do a great job of making you fit every hat. Basically, you have to get them behind the sticks- very similar to playing old Georgia Tech or triple option. If you don’t get them behind the sticks they’ll methodically run it down your throat. We didn’t give them a lot of lost yardage plays, they don’t have many TFLs.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Trey Fort’s 16 points helped Samford defeat West Georgia 86-65 on Friday night.
Fort went 6 of 16 from the field (3 for 8 from 3-point range) for the Bulldogs (7-2). Josh Holloway added 13 points while going 5 of 6 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) to go with six assists.
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The Wolves (0-9) were led in scoring by Shelton Williams-Dryden, who finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Kolten Griffin added nine points, six rebounds and four steals for West Georgia.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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