TIRANA, Feb 20 /ATA/ – Interior Minister Albana Koçiu condemned violence during opposition protests on Friday evening, describing the incidents as an “ugly spectacle” and a “paid revolution.”
In a statement, Koçiu criticised what she called the use of Molotov cocktails and masked individuals during the demonstrations, saying a just cause “does not need masks or firebombs.”
“Let us say it plainly: a just cause does not need masks or Molotov cocktails. Those who are right have the support of the people, not bands of paid hooligans,” Koçiu said, accusing organisers of resorting to violence instead of democratic means.
She said attacking public institutions amounted to vandalism and described assaults on police officers as criminal acts.
“Setting institutions on fire is not politics, it is vandalism. Attacking the State Police is not bravery, it is a crime,” she said.
Koçiu argued the protests were not directed against the government but against what she described as Albania’s stability and international standing.
“This is not opposition politics; this is national sabotage by those who want Albania only if they can treat it as private property. Otherwise, they would rather see it in flames,” she said.
The Interior Minister added that Albania has moved beyond the instability of the late 1990s and urged protest organisers to reconsider their actions.
/j.p/u.sh/
