The Ministry of Justice was hit during Wednesday’s violent protest in Tirana, which also involved fire damage inside the institution’s premises. After the incident, Minister Toni Gogu responded with a message that focused not on a blow to the government, but on the consequences that, according to him, fall on citizens who rely on free legal aid.
The minister’s reaction after the damage to the institution
According to the official version made public by the minister, no employees were injured in the incident. Gogu thanked firefighters and the Police for their intervention, stressing that their response served to protect people’s lives and limit the damage.
The statement came after the Ministry of Justice building was targeted by attacks and fire during the protest, in an episode that once again raises questions about the management of security at high-tension gatherings in the capital.
At the center of the statement, the free legal aid office
Gogu said the most serious damage was caused to the free legal aid office, a service where, according to him, citizens who cannot afford to pay a lawyer seek assistance. He mentioned pensioners, single mothers, young people and victims of violence as categories that seek this support to protect their rights.
The minister’s message shifts the emphasis from damage to the building as state property to the social consequences of the service that was hit, arguing that the real burden does not fall on the government, but on the groups that depend on this public mechanism.
Violence and the right to protest, two issues the government seeks to separate
In his response, the minister said that setting a public office on fire cannot be considered an exercise of the right to protest. As for those responsible, he said that assessing individual responsibilities belongs to the competent bodies, in accordance with the law.
At the same time, he insisted that young people have the right to protest and demand answers about their education, work and future, adding that they should not be identified with the people who used violence. This political and legal distinction now remains in the hands of the institutions that will have to prove with facts who bore concrete responsibility on the ground.
The service is expected to continue despite the damage
According to the minister, free legal aid will continue normally from the next day, at the entrance to the Ministry of Justice and through the number 0800 10 10. He also promised that the damaged office would be rebuilt.
It remains to be seen how quickly this link in the public service will become fully functional again and what real assessment will emerge from the damage caused to the institution after the protest.
The minister’s reaction comes at a time when attention is focused not only on the perpetrators of the violence, but also on the capacity of institutions to protect public services without infringing on the right to protest.
Beyond political statements, the main test remains whether citizens who depend on free legal aid will in fact receive the service without interruption.