Police Outnumber Protesters, BIRN: Peaceful Activists and Citizens with Children Brutally Detained

Citizens and activists who took part in the protest called outside Parliament on Monday encountered several police cordons set up hundreds of meters from the building where lawmakers were holding the plenary session.

Protesters began gathering at around 08:30, chanting “you do not represent us” and “criminal lawmakers.” Meanwhile, hundreds of officers, including members of the Rapid Intervention Force, had formed several rows along every street leading to the Parliament building, making passage impossible. Dozens of armored vehicles, water-cannon vehicles for dispersing crowds and other State Police equipment were also stationed within the sealed-off perimeter.

The closure of the roads also created difficulties for hundreds of citizens who needed to get to work or other destinations. Officers instructed them to use alternative routes, some of which were several times longer.

The number of police officers, deployed in long, tightly packed rows, was several times higher than the number of participants in the rally. The protesters were divided into two groups: one remained near the Namazgah Mosque, while the other stood near the Interior Ministry.

The group stationed at the Interior Ministry marched to join the other protesters on Elbasan Street. Throughout their movement along Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard and Zhan d’Ark Boulevard, they were followed by a large number of police officers.

At around 10:00, as soon as the protesters reached the area near Elbasan Street, the police roadblock was moved to the other side of the bridge. This expanded the cordoned-off area, leaving inside it several participants who had arrived earlier.

As the protesters approached, police detained several of them. Among those detained was activist Arben Kola, whom four officers lifted into the air by his arms and legs. The detentions were carried out with force: some protesters were knocked to the ground, while others were dragged away to be handcuffed and then taken to Police Station No. 1.

After a stone was thrown at police officers, they used pepper spray. As a result, several protesters and photojournalist Malton Dibra, who was working at the time, were injured. One young man was taken to hospital by ambulance because of injuries caused by the pepper spray.

Eggs were also thrown at officers, while several activists urged participants to remain calm. Some of the protesters then returned to the area near the Interior Ministry, while others continued the rally near the Toptani shopping center.

At around 11:30, the participants gathered in Skanderbeg Square and then marched toward Police Station No. 1, where they demanded the release of the five people who had been detained.

After leaving the police station, Arben Kola said he had done nothing other than chant the slogans he usually used at every protest. Later, at around 15:30 on Monday, police detained four Together Movement activists and three young people while they were on the sidewalk along Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard. In a statement posted on Facebook, the Together Movement said the four activists “were doing nothing except standing on the sidewalk.”

Activist Edison Lika told BIRN that, to avoid any confrontation with State Police officers, they had brought fewer eggs to Monday’s protest, bearing in mind the violence and numerous arrests previously carried out by police.

According to Lika, the officers had arrived with clear orders to use violence again. He said several people were arrested even though there had been no confrontation with police: one young man was detained because he was filming, while another was detained after crossing the Lana River. Lika described the situation as paradoxical and the violence as unjustified, adding that other people were harmed by the pepper spray.

Activist Sidorela Vatnikaj also told BIRN that the organizers had called for a peaceful rally, but on the ground they were met with an exceptionally large police presence. According to her, the number of officers was entirely disproportionate both to the turnout at the protest and to the level of risk posed by the protesters.

Vatnikaj said this was not the first time protesters had been detained in a violent and disgraceful manner, without any protocol being followed. She stressed that the participants had not committed any violent or unlawful acts, but were merely exercising their right to protest peacefully.

Activist Fatma Paja had the same impression regarding the heavy police presence, violence and detentions. She said police officers outnumbered protesters, even though the participants included citizens with children and were not acting violently.

According to Paja, the protesters were seized in an extremely brutal and violent manner. She called on people to speak out against the violence inflicted on citizens and peaceful protesters.