Sali Berisha reacted to the student protest in Tirana in sharply political language, claiming that more than 50 students and citizens were injured during the clashes. In his version, the protest marked one of the strongest confrontations in recent years between young people and law enforcement forces.
Claim of more than 50 injured
During a meeting with the heads of the Tirana branches, the leader of the Democratic Party said that the number of people injured in the protest had exceeded 50. According to him, among the injured are cases involving broken femurs, broken legs and head injuries.
No official tally was presented in this reaction, while the figures and the nature of the injuries remain at the level of claims made by Berisha. He also spoke of dozens of other people with bodily injuries and of the use of force against protesters.
Direct accusations against the government
Berisha described the intervention against the protest as brutal state violence and attributed responsibility to Prime Minister Edi Rama. In his statement, he used strong political accusations over how, according to the opposition, peaceful protesters were treated.
He also claimed that eye spray and water cannons were used against participants, portraying the intervention as disproportionate. These accusations come from one side of the political clash and are not accompanied by an institutional response in the same communication.
How the opposition describes the protest
In his remarks, Berisha called it one of the most powerful student uprisings, although the protest lasted for a short period of time. He praised the students’ resilience and said their reaction is tied to deep dissatisfaction with the government.
The rhetoric used by the Democratic leader places the event in a strongly political framework, in which the protest is seen not only as a student reaction, but as a broader confrontation with those in power.
Housing and cost of living at the center of discontent
Berisha also raised the issue of the cost of living for students, claiming that they pay very high rents relative to their incomes. According to him, this is one of the main reasons fueling the unrest.
He alleged that buildings that have traditionally served students have been diverted from their function and are being used for profit interests, which, according to the opposition, is pushing young people toward being unable to afford living and studying in the capital.
Berisha’s statements further raise the political temperature around the protest, but beyond the strong party language, full institutional clarification remains necessary on the number of injured, the degree of force used and the specific responsibilities on the ground.
The event brings back into focus not only the way protests are managed in Tirana, but also the student cost-of-living crisis, a problem that for a long time has been addressed more with statements than with solutions.