Police said they were trying to arrest several masked protesters who had taken part in the protest, and that when they pursued them, the protesters entered the Blue headquarters. But Democratic Party leader Berisha said it was state police that threw tear gas at the PD headquarters and that some people felt unwell, so ambulances were called. Berisha described the police intervention as an act of revenge, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama and the police of trying to manipulate the protest and exert pressure on the opposition.
“The man who is trying to choose the place of political asylum, I tell him here that the only place of asylum will be a prison cell,” Berisha said, addressing the head of government. He claimed that before the protest a scenario had spread to attack the headquarters of the major parties, since, according to him, it had been established that the Prime Minister’s Office could not be taken. “Today, he spreads through his network among the protesters, he spreads the news that we cannot take the Prime Minister’s Office, so the headquarters of the two major parties must be attacked,” Berisha said.
According to the PD chairman, this scenario failed because the protesters did not respond to the calls and were not drawn into the actions he claims were organized to undermine the protest. “The scenario failed, because the initiators, or Rama’s lickspittles, were not followed by anyone. It failed to bring out the protesters who expressed hatred toward the party of crime,” he said.
Berisha further accused the police of intervening on the territory of the Democratic Party headquarters without any reason, throwing large amounts of tear gas. “The police, in the most vengeful way, are violating the territory of the Democratic Party, in breach of the law and the Constitution. Not only are they throwing large quantities of gas canisters without any motive, only as retaliation by the PD for the failure of their scenario. They have poisoned people, and you saw it yourselves,” Berisha said.
Berisha also spoke about the minors involved in the protest, saying the Democratic Party will protect them and accusing the authorities of violating the law. “Every minor who is attacked is a minor and will be protected by the Democratic Party. Those who attack minors break laws and the Constitution of the country. I congratulate the Democrats who are taking the minors under their protection,” Berisha said.
Meanwhile, two ambulances arrived at the Blue headquarters. Top Channel journalist Dorjana Bezat published a video showing the masked protesters running into the headquarters building, while police arrive a few moments later after pursuing them to stop them. The footage also shows the moment the lights on the second floor of the PD headquarters were turned off, according to TCH.
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Photo from the PD headquarters at the end of the protest (TCH)