Albanian anti-government protesters clash with police

Opposition supporters demonstrating in Tirana against the detention of a lawmaker threw incendiary devices at the prime minister’s office and the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party and clashed with police outside parliament.

Protesters in the center of Tirana on Monday evening. Photo: Nensi Bogdani/BIRN.

Violence erupted in the Albanian capital Tirana on Monday evening as anti-government protesters fired Molotov cocktails at the prime minister’s office, the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party, the Interior Ministry and the Tirana municipal building.

There were also clashes with police outside Parliament, with officers using tear gas against protesters to quell the unrest.

Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party and Freedom Party marched through the city carrying banners with slogans such as “Make Albania free again,” expressing anger at Prime Minister Edi Rama’s rule.

Photo: Nensi Bogdani/BIRN.

According to media reports, over 1,000 police officers were deployed in central Tirana to maintain order. Police said 10 officers were injured in the clashes, but did not immediately say how many protesters were injured.

Opposition supporters expressed their anger after Democratic Party MP Ervin Salianji was sentenced to 12 months in prison on false charges. Salianji claims he is the victim of a political vendetta.

The opposition, which accuses Rama of increasing authoritarianism, is calling for a technocratic interim government to be installed before parliamentary elections in June 2025.

Photo: Nensi Bogdani/BIRN.

The leader of the Democratic Party Sali Berisha under house arrest and charged with corruptionHe welcomed Monday’s protest: “The fight of civil disobedience against the drug dictatorship continues,” Berisha wrote on Instagram. He accuses Rama’s government of colluding with criminals, which Rama denies.

Photo: Nensi Bogdani/BIRN.

The unrest in Tirana followed another violent incident last week Opposition MPs smashed and burned chairs in protest against the detention of Salianji in the Parliament Hall and allegedly threw debris at the Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers.

Police said they had referred a case against 25 MPs to the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime.