Georgia has been rocked by protests after its increasingly autocratic government said it would halt the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union.

Protests in downtown Tbilisi are escalating. About ten journalists from various outlets were injured on Thursday night when police dispersed protest participants in front of the Georgian parliament, according to NewsGeorgia.

More than 100 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter criticising the new government's suspension of EU accession talks, a diplomat said on Friday, and a protest against the move led to overnight clashes on the streets of the capital.