Police in Georgia arrested dozens of people overnight and early yesterday in a violent crackdown on protests against the government's decision to delay EU membership talks.

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling party declared victory in October parliamentary elections that the pro-EU opposition decried as falsified.

On Thursday night and yesterday morning, riot police deployed rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse gatherings outside parliament in Tbilisi, beating peaceful protesters and journalists, an AFP reporter witnessed.