A turbulent night in Georgia: Protesters fill hospitals, children at demonstrations, Europe mourns PHOTO/VIDEO

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced yesterday that 27 protesters, as well as 16 policemen and one media worker, were hospitalized in the night between Saturday and Sunday.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament on Sunday evening as well, throwing stones and lighting torches, while police used water cannons and tear gas.

After four hours, the police managed to clear the area around the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, the Georgia Today portal reported.

An effigy of the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, was burned outside parliament.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze warned that "any violation of the law will be severely sanctioned."

"Even those politicians who hide in their offices and victimize members of their violent groups will not escape responsibility," he said at a briefing on Sunday.

He repeated that it is not true that the European integration of Georgia has been stopped.

"The only thing we rejected was the shameful and insulting blackmail, which was, in fact, a significant obstacle to the European integration of our country. The government's announcement came a few hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing last month's general elections in Georgia as unfree and dishonest," he said.

Kobakhidze also confirmed that the Georgian ambassador to the US, David Zalkaliani, became the last of the many diplomats who resigned since the beginning of the protests.

Keep children away from the protest!

Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has called on parents to remove their children from a rally of opposition supporters near the parliament building in Tbilisi.

"According to the legislation of Georgia, all children have the right to enjoy the freedom of peaceful assembly, however, the current actions have many times gone beyond the scope of peaceful assembly and taken on a violent nature, so parents are urged to act taking into account the best interests of the child and protect minors from aggressive environment," the police said in a statement, RIA Novosti reports.

At the press conference, President Salome Zourabichvili pointed out the "inactivity of the Constitutional Court", pointing out that the institution has yet to convene a session.

She encouraged activists, political parties and legal experts to exert pressure on that court, which, as she stated, "has a very significant role in solving the dire constitutional crisis."

"The court and judges have a vital role in restoring the constitutional order. Their positive decision could annul the election results from October 26," said Zourabichvili.

On November 19, she filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, in which she requests that the election results be annulled, and the court has 30 days to react.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze

She stated that her country is becoming a "quasi-Russian" state and that the Georgian Dream controls the main institutions.

"We are not looking for a revolution. We are looking for new elections, but under conditions that will ensure that the will of the people is respected and not rigged again," she said.

EU regrets Georgian Dream's decision to suspend negotiations

The European Union regrets the statement of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze about the decision of the Georgian Dream party not to continue with the opening of negotiations on EU accession and the refusal of EU financial support until 2028, according to a joint statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Security, Kaja Kallas, and the  EU Commissioner for Expansion, Marta Kos.

• On the streets of Tbilisi: Water cannons on the streets, special forces disperse the protesters PHOTO/VIDEO
• Chaos in Georgia: Mass protests; Barricades errected PHOTO/VIDEO

"We note that this announcement marks a departure from the policy of all previous Georgian governments and the European aspirations of the vast majority of the Georgian people, as contained in the Constitution of Georgia," the statement published on the EU website states.

It is recalled that the actions of the Georgian authorities and the democratic backsliding led to the de facto halt of the accession process already in June of this year and that EU financial aid, which directly benefits the Georgian authorities, is currently on hold.

It is noted that the Georgian people once again took to the streets to confirm their aspirations to join the European Union.

"The EU strongly condemns the violence against peaceful protesters, who strongly support their European and democratic future. These actions of the Georgian government have direct consequences for our relations," the statement said, adding that the Georgian authorities must respect the right to freedom of assembly and expression and refrain from from the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, politicians and media representatives.