Eleven days after the first protest erupted, Tirana rose up again this Saturday in a large demonstration against the government. Thousands of citizens called by the Democratic Party took to the streets to support the student protest and demand the resignation of Edi Rama. After several days of relative calm, the protest of October 24 showed that the revolt has not died down and that anger against the government continues to mobilize thousands of people, even when it seems that the intensity of the protests has decreased.
But the massive return of protesters to the streets was met with an even harsher police intervention. The forces of order used rubber bullet rifles, large amounts of tear gas and pressurized water from the beginning, causing several injuries, including a 28-year-old man who was seriously hit in the eye.
The escalation of police intervention came just days after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Rama's political ally, criticized the Albanian prime minister for being too soft on protesters. What was seen at this Saturday's protest in Tirana was an increased dose of violence, as the police used rubber bullet rifles from the beginning of the protest, fired tear gas in large quantities and water cannons against the crowds of protesters, while the clashes were accompanied by several injuries, including people hit in the face and body.
The use of rubber bullets marked another escalation of police intervention against youth protests, which have engulfed the capital and other cities of the country since October 13. During the morning hours, the media reported two people wounded in the abdomen by rubber bullets, and photos of the wounds were also distributed in the media.
Despite the complaints, the police continued to use rubber bullets against young people.
The most serious incident of the protests to date occurred in Skanderbeg Square, where 28-year-old Erjon Vishkulli was injured in the eye by a rubber bullet. Images of the young man screaming in pain, with his eye injured and being transported unconscious have been published on social media and show one of the most serious moments of these days.
The young man, known as a member of the Albanian National Team fan group, "Red and Black Fans".
According to reports, Vishkulli underwent surgery. The Ministry of Health confirmed that a protester injured in the eye was receiving specialized treatment.
Meanwhile, other footage, published by journalist Osman Stafa, showed a police officer repeatedly hitting a citizen lying on the ground with a rubber baton, who did not react.
In the video, calls for medical assistance can be heard, while the injured person does not respond.
The clashes began at noon at the Ministry of Education, but escalated in the afternoon and evening in several areas of Tirana. Protesters threw fireworks, pyrotechnics and Molotov cocktails at the police, while the police intervened with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.
At times, "Skënderbej" Square and the capital's main boulevard were covered in tear gas. There were also reports of burning garbage cans, damage to businesses and broken windows at a bank branch in the "Vasil Shantos" area.
The preliminary balance of the Ministry of Health was 13 people who sought medical assistance, among them protesters, police officers, and media representatives.
The October 24 protest marked another escalation of the conflict between the government and protesters, with the use of increasingly forceful means by the police and the risk of serious injury increasing. But the main difference this Saturday was a gentle unification that occurred between the students leading the protest and the Democratic Party supporters who had come together earlier in the day to march on the Ministry of Education.
However, it remains to be seen in the coming days how authentic this joining of forces in protest has been.
A few days after Aleksandar Vučić considered Rama too soft with the protesters, footage from Tirana shows a police force that has significantly intensified its interventions. It cannot be said that this escalation of police violence is the result of any communication between Vučić and Rama, but the coincidence between his statement and recent developments is politically significant./Lapsi.al
