Analyst Dritan Hila engaged in a heated debate with journalist Klodiana Lala on the television program “Të Paekspozuarit” on Vizion Plus over police conduct toward protesters. Hila compared it with the police response in other European countries, adding that Molotov cocktails had not been used there as they were in Albania, while Lala said that people’s legs had been broken and that paramilitaries had emerged from the Socialist Party headquarters.
Excerpts from the debate
Të lidhura
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Hila: We have also seen the French, German and Danish police attack. It seemed normal to me, because the police cannot stand there for six hours taking stones. The police also counterattacked on January 21. The police response seems normal to me. I have seen the German and French police knock people down and continue hitting them. The reason has to be considered on a case-by-case basis. In none of the protests was a Molotov cocktail used. Because if they catch you with a Molotov cocktail, they will forget your name in prison. Whereas here, Molotov cocktails are used.
Some of them are kids recruited through TikTok, as people in Italy have been accused of using fake addresses to call for gatherings. But returning to the scale of the police response and the pursuit of individuals through alleyways, we do not know whether they were pursuing people who had used extreme violence against the police. I have not seen boulevards filled with stones like that in France or Italy, or that level of violence.
Lala: There was the case of Klevi Metaj, who clashed with the police. After the police assaulted him…
Hila: He punched a police officer.
Lala: After assaulting him, they tied him to the railings.
Hila: Because the number of police officers was much smaller.
Lala: Does that seem normal to you? What if she had been my daughter or yours?
Hila: My daughter would not go there.
Lala: You do not think that was a violation of human rights?
Hila: He hit six police officers.
Lala: You have 15,000 police forces.
Hila: No, the ministry’s staff consists of only 12,000 people.
Lala: The other person had a broken leg and was unconscious.
What about the other one who was unconscious? The one they threw into the van?
Hila: An investigation must certainly be conducted. I do not agree with the deputy minister coming out and demoralizing police officers. Every serious state says, “Leave the service and you will be investigated,” but not in front of you.
Lala: What is happening in France is something else. We need to be careful—not all of the police are involved—but to accept as normal that paramilitaries are emerging from the Socialist Party headquarters…
Hila: They are not paramilitaries.
Lala: What is Rigers Sheqeri?
Hila: I did not come here with names.
Lala: He is an official of the IMT and cannot pick up a club there.
Hila: And those people there with clubs—were they intellectuals? If people came at me with clubs, I would also confront them. The owners defended the headquarters.
Lala: At least lower your heads and do not speak.
Hila: You should lower your heads for justifying violence against a party headquarters. Do not encourage them to attack institutions.
Lala: Albanian youth have the right to protest. The police have no right to use barbaric violence. The propaganda is disgusting.
