BATUMI, (Georgia): 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.—AFP