Georgian riot police on Friday deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators protesting a government decision to delay pursuing European Union accession.

Thousands rallied in the capital of Tbilisi and cities across Georgia after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision amid a post-election crisis that saw the country’s president challenge the legitimacy of the newly-elected parliament and government.

Waving EU and Georgian flags, thousands rallied outside parliament, blocking traffic on the Georgian capital’s main road in the latest of a series of protests in the country.

Shortly after midnight, riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons against the peaceful demonstrators.

The crackdown continued into the early hours, with masked police firing rubber bullets and allegedly assaulting protesters and journalists.

Demonstrators erected barricades and set them on fire while local media reported several protesters and journalists were arrested.

“I stand with the Georgian media, who are disproportionately targeted and attacked while doing their job and reporting continuously,” pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili said on social media.