Page 76 - bne magazine February 2022_20220208

76 I Southeast Europe bne February 2022
Albanian police use tear gas to disperse protest at opposition Democrats’ HQ
Bardhi spoke to reporters the previous day, accusing a minority within the party of seeking to “replace the legitimate DP institutions with acts of violence”.
“Sali Berisha, with the violence announced today [Janary 7], wants to turn the PD headquarters into a bunker where he, his family and the drug traffickers and murderers who accompany him on this desperate path against the Democrats will be sheltered,” Bardhi said accodingto a party statement.
“The US is deeply concerned with rising tensions at the Democratic
Party headquarters building and protestors' use of force. We call on protest organisers to reject violence and exercise calm. Those inciting violence or undermining the rule of law will be held accountable,” US ambassador to Tirana Yuri Kim wrote on Twitter.
In December, Berisha hosted an unauthorised assembly of Democratic Party members at Tirana stadium, where delegates voted overwhelmingly to oust Basha. The meeting took place after Berisha’s tour of the country to drum
up support among Democratic Party members.
However, Basha said he wouldn’t give in to pressure from Berisha to quit.
At a meeting of the party’s national council on December 12, headed
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Police stepped in to disperse an angry crowd of supporters of former Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha outside the headquarters of Albania’s main opposition party on January 8.
Berisha has been seeking to oust the party’s current leader Lulzim Basha, who expelled him from the Democrats’ parliamentary group after Berisha was sanctioned by the US, which accused him of involvement in “significant corruption”.
Berisha supporters gathered outside the Democrats’ headquarters in Tirana at around 10am on January 8. Around an hour later, several hundred people forced their way through the barriers outside the building, smashed windows and forced their way inside.
Footage from outside the Democratic Party headquarters shows protesters repeatedly smashing a sledgehammer against the doors. Others propped up ladders to scale the walls of the building.
MPs loyal to Basha inside the building called the police saying they feared for
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their lives. Local media reported seeing senior party members on the roof
of the party headquarters including Jorida Tabaku, Grida Duma and Ervin Salianji, who both filmed themselves from within the building and posted the videos on Facebook.
Police arrived at the scene and used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Numerous injuries were reported.
“Protesters repeatedly smashing a sledgehammer against the doors. Others propped up ladders to scale the walls of the building"
Berisha had warned in advance that his supporters planned to take control of the Democratic Party headquates.
“YES HAPPENING / Democrats in protest, DP headquarters expected to return to membership,” he wrote on Facebook as the protest began.
Party officials have not yet commented on today’s events, but MP Gazment
by Basha, a statement was adopted declaring that all the steps taken at the previous day’s assembly were illegal.
Basha decided to exclude Berisha from the Democrats’ parliamentary group after the latter was named by the US State Department as persona non grata due to his involvement in “significant corruption” in May.