TIRANA, Nov 26 /ATA/ The opposition ended its protest after 3 hours this evening in Tirana, having blocked 5 of the main traffic routes.
Protesters, under the slogan “Today or Never,” blocked traffic on several key routes in the capital, including the Small Ring Road, the Zogu i Zi roundabout, the bridge near the mosque on Elbasan Street, Wilson Square, and from the Arrow Building Block to Kavaja Street.
The police asked the protesters to clear the road and let traffic resume, emphasizing that this action is a criminal offense.
Clashes occurred between protesters and the police at several blocked intersections, with physical confrontations reported at the Zogu i Zi roundabout.
Meanwhile, a tense situation was also reported on Elbasan Street and Wilson Square.
The police used high-pressure water to disperse the protesters and unblock the traffic at Wilson Square. Following this, the protesters moved toward the City Hall of Tirana.
The Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Gazmend Bardhi, upon arriving at the square in front of the City Hall of Tirana, said, “Our protest was peaceful and lawful because the State Police had been notified. Without any reason, the police unlawfully decided at one point to use violence against the protesters.”
Bardhi emphasized, “The police employed all the aggressive tactics usually reserved for violent protests, despite the protest being entirely peaceful. This sends a clear message that the police are not defending citizens’ constitutional rights, but are instead shielding organized crime.”
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Bardhi said, “I have previously stated that if these police officers showed the same level of aggression towards organized crime, they would have executed all of SPAK’s arrest warrants if they were in Elbasan today.”
Bardhi said, “What happened today shows that we are heading towards a state that does not recognize laws or the constitution, a state that only enforces illegal orders.”
Member of the Democratic Party’s presidency, Belind Këlliçi, expressed his gratitude to the citizens present at the protest.
After the opposition’s protest ended, vehicle traffic returned to normal.
/k.s/sm/
