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Journalist on the protest in front of Parliament: The government is sending the officers "to the cannon"

Politiko 2026-07-27 21:42:13

Journalist on the protest in front of Parliament: The government is sending the

Journalist Osman Stafa, invited to Euronews Albania, has provided details regarding today's protest recorded in front of Parliament.

The staff stressed that the police response was disproportionate compared to the protesters' vehicles, who mainly had eggs and tomatoes with them.

According to him, the government is deliberately deploying police officers as "cannon fodder" without protective equipment to incite reactions and create the impression of a violent and destabilizing protest.

"The protesters announced a protest today at 08:30, they came and unlike the previous protest, there was an extraordinary massive presence of the State Police in front of the protesters armed with eggs and tomatoes. So they had taken really big measures, unlike last time when the police officers of the police stations were on the unprotected front line.

This time there were Eagles police and Rapid Intervention Forces, who were equipped with spacesuits and other equipment that is necessary during protests. From what I have seen, sometimes it seems to me that the government itself wants the State Police to take cannon fodder to the protesters.

I say this because in a protest you have to take measures. So, in a democratic country, but also in a regime, the government always has the monopoly on violence. So, in this specific case, the police have gas, they have water, they have rubber batons, they have everything that belongs to them. On the other hand, you have some protesters who have eggs, they have tomatoes. But the moment you throw gas at them, the moment you throw water with chemicals at them, they will react because it hurts them, and it is completely normal for a protester to have a reaction.

Yes, in the "meat for the cannon" part, I say this: what they take, that is, they do these acts, then they expect the protesters to have no reaction. That protester who comes to the square could have 1,000 problems, from hospitals, to education, to corruption and others.

So, his emotion can be justified to some extent as long as he has been out in the streets to protest. The police, on the other hand, cannot react in such a way as if there are two teams and 'you give me the word or throw an egg at me and I will react'", he said, among others.

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