Tirana looks like a war zone.
The situation this evening is critical and the protest has gone out of control. For several hours there have been clashes between protesters and police at the Prime Minister’s Office, and several protesters have collapsed on the sidewalk in serious condition. Molotov cocktails containing flammable liquid have been thrown at police from the crowd. Police officers have been set on fire, and one was nearly completely burned by a Molotov cocktail thrown by protesters. So far 132 police officers have been injured, according to the head of the State Police.
Police launched an operation against the protesters, advancing with vehicles and forcing the protesters back. Immediately after the police advance, one person was injured and lay stretched out on the Boulevard. First aid was provided by media representatives and is still being administered. Police announced that police officers were injured.
Several police vans filled with officers, and others with rubber batons in hand, charged in and made dozens of detentions. At one point the protesters confronted the police, throwing Molotov cocktails and stones torn up from the boulevard. The police then went into action with tear gas and a全面 total assault on the protesters. After so many days of violent clashes, RENEA forces came out onto the Boulevard and took over the encirclement of the Prime Minister’s Office. We note that RENEA forces only deploy with special authorization and in extraordinary situations.
Meanwhile, protesters have set fire to the first floor of the former Dajti Hotel, the first floor of the Supreme Court, and several bank branches. Several businesses and private cars were also burned. The Socialist Party reacted after the attack with Molotov cocktails on the Supreme Court building, where several offices were burned. The PS directly accuses Sali Berisha, saying that he preceded the acts of violence with verbal attacks on the judges who set the measures for the protesters. “The flames over the Supreme Court were preceded by Sali Berisha, who attacked the judges who imposed measures on the violators of the law. There is no turning back for Albania,” the Socialists’ statement reads.
Director General of the State Police, Skënder Hita, arrived on the Boulevard during today’s protest, where he confronted Mundësia Party MPs Agron Shehaj and Erald Kapri. During his presence, there was a physical clash between MPs and police officers escorting Hita, after the blue uniforms did not allow Shehaj and Kapri to approach the Police Director. After the confrontation, Agron Shehaj accused the police of violence against minors escorted to Police Station No. 2, raising questions also about the deployment of armed RENEA forces. Meanwhile, Erald Kapri was injured by tear gas spray thrown in his direction and received help from the doctors present.
Flakët te Gjykata e Lartë, PS akuzon Berishën: I parapriu me sulmet ndaj gjyqtarëve
A blue “Volvo” car abandoned on “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, as seen in videos by Koha Jonë journalist Daniel Muçaku, was taken by protesters and then set on fire, adding to the tensions in the area. This scene recalls the scene of January 11, 2011. The use of Molotov cocktails against armored vehicles and the police response with water cannons and tear gas have turned the area around the Prime Minister’s Office into a real battlefield, while the situation remains very tense and unpredictable.
The incident raises questions, as the entire perimeter of the Boulevard and the secondary streets around the Prime Minister’s Office is completely surrounded and fortified by police cordons and water cannon trucks. It remains unclear how this vehicle managed to penetrate the high-risk area, which is closed to vehicle traffic.
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