Nearly two dozen people were hospitalised Sunday in Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi after police used tear gas and rubber bullets against hundreds of stone-throwing rioters, local media reported. The violent clashes reportedly followed a spontaneous protest by local residents against police officers arresting several men who refused to accept a parking fine.
Eleven police and 10 demonstrators were hospitalised with injuries and symptoms of tear gas poisoning, regional healthcare minister Zaal Mikeladze told journalists.