Metal fence surrounds Parliament after Thursday’s tensions, socialist MPs use secondary entrance

The premises of the Albanian Parliament have been equipped with a complete enclosure of metal barriers, as today’s plenary session is expected to take place.

Journalist Elda Menga from Top Channel reports that representatives of the socialist majority have chosen to enter the building through a side gate, the one near the Academy of Sciences building.

Meanwhile, the main entrance of the institution is blocked by metal structures that extend around the entire perimeter of the building.

The heightened measures come after Thursday’s events, when the previous plenary session was accompanied by clashes between citizens gathered in protest and law enforcement forces. A group of protesters threw eggs at lawmakers, prompting the police to intervene and taking some of them to the police station. That same day, some others managed to damage the metal fencing and attempted to breach the inner premises of Parliament, an action that forced the blue uniforms to also deploy tear gas.

As a result of these episodes, the authorities detained and arrested a total of 20 individuals. The toll included 9 injured police officers and 5 harmed protesters.