Day 135 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania
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"Citizen resistance continues; today marks the 135th day of the protest."
🔴 Vijon Rezistenca e qytetarëve, sot dita e 135 e protestës
"LIVE Breaking News – Protest Today! Young people are gathering in front of the Ministry of Education."
🔴LIVE Minuta e parë- Sot Protestë! Nis grumbullimi i të rinjve para Ministrisë së Arsimit
From autotranslation of one protestor interviewed, they were saying that Albania's youth deserves a future. So many feel they have to emigrate, where they do the worst jobs of the EU because even that pays better than working in Albania. They deserve to have a future and careers in Albania, it's not luxury to ask that.
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Popping off during the day and the crowd is larger and younger again.
Spray paint, eggs, water balloons, yes. But no violence from protestors.
Cops are there, as are Special Forces.
The graffiti says things that protestors have said throughout protests for months.
"Turp!" = Shame!
"Ju Erdhi Fundi!" = You are through/your time is up!
"Ministria e krimit" = Ministry of Crime
"Jep dorëheqjen!" = Resign!
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Lots of young men there and things are escalating - property-wise.
They've torn down the permanent fence protecting the sidewalk from drivers and have piled the steel up. But some are also trying to throw that steel over the wrough iron fence of the Ministry.
They've started digging up the sidewalk tiles and breaking them into smaller pieces to throw at the Ministry of Education Building.
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Some protestors scaled the fence and also threw some of the uprooted fences through the windows of the Ministry of Education.
Some tear gas has been released and the cops are slowly going on the grounds between the perimeter fence and the Ministry looking to either arrest the people or to push them back onto the sidewalk and off Ministry property.
The cops have not gotten violent yet that I can see (and they've been the ones starting the violence in every other instance I've seen in the past months), but it's probably because they know they are deeply outnumbered by the students, some of whom are now throwing street tiles.
The cops are forming up for protection and erecting their riot shields.
The water cannon truck is now going.
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The reporter on the livecast, who is a half block or more away has been coughing from the tear gas.
Once there were more cops there and the water cannon, they went after protestors with nightsticks and the cannon.
While throwing sidewalk tiles was dangerous, I didn't see protestors targeting a person, but the building. The cops, however, are definitely targeting people, often 4 - 6 cops per protestor they're trying to beat or arrest.
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The street the Ministry of Education is on is Rruga e Durrësit, the road to Durrës, Albania's major port. It is one of the major roads out of Tirana, which has a center-hub street system with just a few streets leading out. They're probably feeling a lot of pressure from more wealthy suburban drivers (and business drivers) to get the road clear.
The reporter is stating again and again that the protest was pretty calm before the cops intervened. They were just standing there protesting, nothing more than mild vandalism. They were throwing eggs, throwing tomatoes.
Then the cops made things escalate. The reporter is pointing it out from the POV (so far as I can tell from autotranslation) that if the purpose of the cops is to keep the peace, they're doing the opposite.
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Barricade improvised from a bit of the decorative steel fence that was ripped out of the concrete by some of the crowd, paired with a Sanitation pedicart.
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Ad kiosk set on fire, which is understandable to me because corporations get more public space than the public does. Most bus stops aren't even sheltered (and it gets VERY hot in summer and rains pretty good in winter) and lots of folks in Albania rely on the bus.
Chyron means "Two Journalists Injured While Reporting"
Tear gas continues.
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Day 136 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania
Today has been a big day, with a large protest of students outside the Ministry of Education starting around noon. The cops kept cool for a little while, but eventually used tear gas, water cannons, and night sticks and that is continuing hours later.
It looks like some bonfires were set in the street.
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