Tens of thousands protested tonight in Tbilisi against the government's policy of joining the EU after the country failed to obtain EU candidate status, AFP reported.

Protesters waving Georgian and European flags gathered around the Georgian Parliament building to the sound of the EU anthem.

Several pro-European organizations and all opposition groups have called for protests to increase pressure on the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused of authoritarian bias and deteriorating relations with Brussels.

"We, the Georgian people, want (Prime Minister) Irakli Garibashvili to resign and form a new government to carry out all the reforms required by the European Union," Shota Digmelashvili, one of the organizers, told the gathering.

"We are giving the government a week to comply with our request," he added.

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The organizers stressed on Facebook that no matter what promises the government makes, they do not believe it will keep them.

"The Georgian people must defend their European choice," they added.

Georgia

EU membership