FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Citizens crossed some of Tirana's main axes and continued towards Rinas airport, while police stopped the march in the early hours of the morning...
Police managed to stop the peaceful protest march on the 15th day of the protest, a few hours after they set off towards Rinas International Airport. It is still not known who led the crowd of thousands of protesters towards Rinas, as this was the first time they had organized their march towards the Tirana-Durres highway, after previously marching on some of the main road axes within the capital.
Under the cries of "Rama, resign," the protesters stopped at around 2:40 AM on Monday morning as they approached Albania's only international airport.
The protest, as usual, began with the gathering of protesters at Skanderbeg Square and then with their march along Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard to the Prime Minister's Office building.
Then, thousands of protesters began the march on foot, passing through "Skënderbej" Square, Durrës Street, the area of the former "Shqiponja" Square, and Kamza Turn.
After passing through these segments, the protesters headed towards the Tirana-Durres highway, a move that changed the protest's previous route. The march continued for several hours along the road axis, while the participants moved towards Rinas.
At around 00:26, the crowd reached the Rinas overpass area and continued towards the airport. In the hours after midnight, police forces were positioned near the airport to stop the protest from advancing.
At around 02:00, the police prevented the march from continuing. The protesters did not get involved in clashes with the officers and remained in the area, chanting in support of the police. "The police are with us," was one of the most common chants from the crowd, as dozens of police officers were positioned in front of them as a 'barricade', while behind them were water cannons and water cannons.
Seeing the determination of the security forces, the protesters decided to end the protest after about 40 minutes, thus avoiding incidents. The protest on the 15th day lasted for about 9 hours, thus setting a record for the duration of protests that have been organized in Albania in recent years.
A significant portion of the time was dedicated to walking along the route followed, while the first hours of the protest were held in front of the Prime Minister's Office with speeches and public addresses. The 15th day protest was characterized by the long movement of participants from the center of Tirana towards the Rinas area and by the end without incidents between protesters and police.
This was the second time that the police have appeared in an organized manner in front of the protesters, unlike the previous protests that have been held in Tirana. The first time, the police attempted to block the protesters on the "Dëshmorët e Kombit" boulevard, as the friendly match between Albania and Israel was being played at the Air Albania stadium and the police had previously announced a plan of measures, with the aim of avoiding incidents.
Lini një Përgjigje