Koçiu: the Albania of the hardworking majority will not be held hostage by a violent minority

Deputy Prime Minister Albana Koçiu reacted several times on Saturday to the violence during the protest in Tirana, sharing footage on social media of protesters throwing fireworks and Molotov cocktails at police and institutions.

In her evening post, Koçiu said the violence endangers the lives and safety of protesters, media representatives and police officers. “These are images that belong neither to the capital nor to the European Albania we want to build,” she wrote, urging citizens to distance themselves from violence and from those who incite it. She said the instigators must bear responsibility for their actions.

Accusations against PD

In an earlier reaction, the deputy prime minister blamed the Democratic Party directly. “The Democratic Party has long since turned into a genuine force of violence,” she wrote, adding that “the time when they threw the stone and hid the hand is over.” Koçiu claimed the opposition leader had openly taken responsibility for the destruction.

“Albanians do not want violence, Albanians want Europe. Stop attacking State Police officers!” she wrote. According to Shqiptarja.com, earlier in the afternoon Koçiu had described the protest as a failed attempt to manufacture a “people's revolution.”

“We have no time to lose”

Koçiu stressed that Albania has no time to lose on its path to the European Union and that the country's energy should be focused on work, education and development. “The Albania of the majority that works, studies and respects the law will not be held hostage by a violent minority,” she concluded. PD did not respond directly to her statements.