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VOA: Tirana, opposition protest, Molotov cocktails against government buildings

2024-10-07 21:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In Albania, the announced protest of the opposition has started with tensions in front of the government headquarters. Initially, there was a clash between the leaders of the opposition and the police forces who surrounded the building, and then a series of Molotov cocktails were launched towards the prime minister's office. The police used tear gas to repel the crowds.

From there, the opposition MPs marched. Along the way, protesters set fire to a bus stop as well as several garbage cans. The next stop was the headquarters of the Socialist Party, where a shower of Molotov bombs was fired at the building, while a large banner with a photo of the Socialist President and Prime Minister Edi Rama, placed on the entrance facade, caught fire. The police intervened to put out the fire and used tear gas again. The same scenario was repeated a little later, a few hundred meters away, near the building of the Ministry of the Interior, and a few minutes later and towards the Municipality of Tirana, where the police also used water pumps to drive away the protesters.

The decision to organize today's protest was taken by the high forums of the Democratic Party, after the Court of Appeal sentenced its deputy Ervin Salianji to one year in prison. It was preceded by some of the opposition forces in the parliament where initially the opposition deputies burned their chairs, in front of the building where the sessions take place. A few days later, tensions remained high when they tried to prevent the majority MPs from entering the parliament hall.

The opposition has announced that it is starting a battle without return which aims, according to it, to guarantee the free vote of Albanians, insisting on a technical government to organize the next parliamentary elections. In recent days, various exponents of it have used harsh tones in media statements, letting it be understood that any kind of reaction is justifiable, while they have pointed out the punishment of Mr. Salianji, which they consider to be political revenge, or the non-implementation by the majority of decisions of the Constitutional Court, in the case of the mandate of former minister Xhaçka.

In the notification sent to the police, the opposition announced that the protest will take place in front of the prime minister's office for 4 hours, but without determining the route of the movement, while no speeches are planned.

The police seem to suspect that the protest can be spread on other roads away from the prime minister's area and for this reason they have announced that traffic can be blocked in key points of the capital. Over 1,000 police forces have been engaged to protect the institutions along the central boulevard of the capital.

The protest is being closely monitored by several monitoring groups of the Ombudsman. This institution has appealed to the protesters to demonstrate peacefully, asking the police to act responsibly, respecting the standards of intervention necessary to guarantee order and security, without violating the rights of citizens./ CNA