Following the clashes of October 16, protester recounts understanding with police: “They are Albanians too

A young protester has described what happened on the boulevard in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, where a moment of calm emerged during the October 16 protest in Tirana after continued clashes between the crowd and police.

According to his account, the protesters and police officers reached an understanding, prompting the police forces to withdraw toward the Prime Minister’s Office. The young man said the two sides found common ground without seeking any further guarantees.

Speaking about the police officers, he said that “they are Albanians too” and stressed that the officers were carrying out orders given by their superiors.

The protester said he was disappointed by peaceful protests because, in his view, they had not produced the intended results. He added that everyone knows a protest must achieve results and that the participants had grown tired of peaceful forms of protest.

Later, the young man used harsh language toward Prime Minister Edi Rama, whom he described as “the cancer of Albania.” According to him, violence is the only alternative left to the protesters.

He said they would not allow themselves to be defeated, while reiterating that police officers have families and should resign. According to the protester, the officers had received orders from the “chief butcher,” whom he called the cancer of Albania, insisting that “only violence works” and that they had been left with no other option.