Protests in Tirana 2

This is a follow up to my previous post regarding the demonstration in Tirana on 1-21-2011.

The reaction to the violence was varied. Footage of one shooting is available online and speculation about who the killer was became a topic of note. Prosecutors in Tirana issued warrants for high ranking national guard officers involved that day, but didn’t make any arrests. Parliament also ordered an investigation into the clash with police. Over one hundred protesters were arrested.

During the past week both parties played the blame game and both parties also decided to hold new protests. The Democratic Party called it an attempted coup and planned to hold a march for peace. The Socialist Party claimed to be organizing an homage demonstration for the three protesters killed in the previous protest and stood by their rhetoric.

There was quite a bit of tension in regard to these further actions by both parties. Friends I spoke with expressed a range of feelings; concern that the country might not be able to weather another violent protest, anger that their political views are not being represented by either party, frustration that despite the violence of a week ago, both parties wanted to organize massive actions and fear that the worst might happen.

There was significant international pressure to abandon both of these actions and the DP eventually postponed and then cancelled their peace march. The SP went ahead with their demonstration yesterday and it ended without violence.