Artan Hoxha: Rama was caught unprepared, organized crime does not attack with stones; RENEA deployed at protest

Journalist Artan Hoxha, speaking in an interview with News24, commented on the students’ protest and the actions of the State Police. He questioned Prime Minister Edi Rama’s claims that organized crime had been involved in the protest.

According to Hoxha, during the first 48 hours, Rama had not anticipated the situation that developed. The journalist praised the resilience of the young people, who, he said, protested for 7-8 hours with great intensity.

Hoxha said the protest had continued for 16 days and that during this period the protesters had not used weapons. He rejected the connection Rama made between the protest and organized crime, stating that the latter does not attack with stones. According to the journalist, it had also been claimed that the protesters intended to attack the police with a drone.

Speaking about the most tense moments, Hoxha said that if the protest had continued for another quarter of an hour, the protesters might have entered the Prime Minister’s Office. He mentioned damage to police vehicles and the use of water cannon vehicles, while emphasizing that RENEA, rather than the Guard, had been deployed as a last line of defense.

The journalist said that RENEA’s deployment may have created the impression that the situation was heading toward escalation. According to him, the protesters did not know what condition the police were in that day.

Hoxha also spoke about the second wave of the protest, which, he said, the prime minister attempted to suppress by force, particularly targeting minors. He said video footage showed cases in which 5-6 police officers beat an unprotected individual, as well as cases in which people were beaten after being arrested. According to the journalist, these actions were intended to frighten and demotivate the protesters. He added that Rama realized that the masked individuals were the ones keeping the protest alive.

“If in the first days—in the first 48 hours—we saw that the prime minister was caught off guard, he had not imagined that this situation would arise. The resilience of those young people for 7-8 hours was extraordinary and highly intense. There have been 16 days of protest and we have not seen any weapons. The prime minister says that organized crime was involved, but organized crime does not attack with stones. One day it was said that they wanted to attack the police with a drone. That was the day when, if the protest had continued for another quarter of an hour, they would have entered the Prime Minister’s Office, because police vehicles had been damaged and water cannon vehicles had been deployed. And as a last line of defense, the Guard was not brought out; RENEA was deployed instead. I believe that when people saw RENEA come out, they thought the situation could escalate. The protesters had no information about what condition the police were in that day… The traditional political forces do, because many of them have contacts… But this second wave, which the prime minister decided to suppress by force, especially the violence against minors. Violence that was captured on camera, with 5-6 police officers beating a defenseless individual, or beating people after arresting them. All of this was intended to frighten and demotivate the protesters. The prime minister saw that those who were sustaining the protest and were its soul were the ones wearing masks,” he said.