(Adnkronos) – This morning, Albanian Police used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators trying to approach the Parliament in Tirana to protest against a tourism project linked to the Trump family and to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Since May 31, night protests have taken place in front of the Prime Minister’s office, as well as several daytime rallies in front of Parliament, during which eggs and flour were repeatedly thrown at police vehicles.
Today, a massive police presence was visible from the early hours of the morning: water cannons were used against demonstrators who tried to force the police cordon to reach Parliament. According to AFP journalists on the scene, some demonstrators threw eggs and stones. The demonstrators, several hundred, were also confronted with tear gas.
The demonstrators had gathered to protest against a 4 million euro subsidy for Kanye West’s concert in Tirana on July 4. West, the American rapper, has sparked controversy with his antisemitic statements and his songs glorifying Adolf Hitler.
It was rumored that Parliament was about to approve the subsidy, requested by the government of socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to avoid the cancellation of the event and “not to embarrass Albania,” as stated by the Prime Minister himself. The provision of aid, in the midst of ongoing protests, was seen by many demonstrators as a provocation.
The protests stem from a project for the construction of a luxury resort linked to the Trump family, located in a protected natural area and on an uninhabited island, inhabited by flamingos. The project has aroused the anger of a part of the population who, according to the slogans chanted during the demonstrations, denounce the arrogance and corruption of the government and demand the resignation of Edi Rama. In the absence of independent censuses, it is difficult to establish how many people participate in the evening demonstrations in Tirana, but until mid-July, according to AFP journalists on the scene, participants were almost always thousands. Since then, the marches have become less frequent.
