European Commission condemns violence at Albania protests; police report 167 arrests

The European Commission on Sunday 18 October condemned violence during anti-government protests in Albania, an EU membership candidate.

“We condemn the use of violence in Tirana and other cities in Albania, including arson, attacks on State institutions and the destruction of public and private property,” the Commission said in a statement. “Violence has no place in a democratic society, and the response to it must remain within the law and proportionate.” It said those responsible should be held to account “through due process”, and welcomed the Albanian authorities’ commitment that the right to protest would be protected.

State Police Director General Skënder Hita said on Saturday that 167 people had been arrested and 388 others faced criminal proceedings over violence during five days of protests, the state news agency ATA reported. He said 132 police officers had been injured and seven officers had been suspended pending disciplinary investigations into alleged abuse of authority. Albania’s Health Ministry said 65 people were injured on Saturday alone, including 37 police officers, 24 protesters and four bystanders, and that 12 remained in hospital.

On Saturday, protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs at police near the Education Ministry and later outside the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama, and police used water cannon and tear gas, the BBC reported. ATA said two police water cannon trucks and a car were set on fire.

Rama blamed the protests on the opposition Democratic Party and on what he called “the sinister agenda of foreign actors”, without naming them, the BBC reported.

Background

Protests began in early June and have grown into a wider movement calling for Rama to resign following corruption allegations linked to his administration, according to the BBC. Rama has said he knows businessman Ergys Agasi, who is under investigation, but denies any knowledge of illegal transactions, the BBC reported. Rama’s Socialist Party has governed for 13 years and holds 83 of 140 seats in parliament. Rama has promised EU membership by 2030.