State Police Director Skënder Hita has publicly defended the use of tear gas during the latest protests in the capital, saying the police “had no other choice.” In the official version, the intervention was dictated by violence against officers and stone attacks, while the police side acknowledges no mistakes in handling the situation.
The police version of the clashes
Hita said that during the three days of protest the police did not follow different standards of action and that the response, according to him, was proportional to what he described as the violent behavior of the protesters.
In his statement, the police chief insisted that officers had faced a high intensity of stone attacks. It was precisely this argument that he used to justify the mass use of tear gas against the crowd.
No admission of excessive force
Asked whether the police had made mistakes on the ground, Hita offered a full defense of his subordinates, saying they had all been “equal to the task” and that the actions were carried out meticulously.
His position leaves little room for institutional self-criticism at a time when the use of force against protesters has raised public questions. According to the police chief, tear gas was necessary and there was no other intervention alternative.
71 police officers injured, according to the official toll
In the same statement, the police reported that 71 State Police employees were injured during the events, some of them seriously. This toll was presented as proof of the scale of the violence that, according to the authorities, officers faced on the ground.
The protest was also described by the police as a wave of attacks, arson and destruction against state institutions, as well as public and private property.
Claims about “recruited individuals” and an appeal to young people
Beyond the clash toll, Hita also made stronger political claims, saying that behind the masks were not students, but individuals recruited for “dark purposes” by organizers inside and outside the country. No details or evidence were presented for this accusation in the public statement.
He added that among those detained on the first night there were no students, while on the second night, according to the police, only a small number were students. At the same time, he called on parents, teachers and lecturers not to allow the involvement of high school pupils and university students in acts of violence.
Message of force and support from the government
At the end of the statement, Hita assured police employees that they have his support, as well as that of the Interior Minister and the government, for every lawful action taken in the fulfillment of duty.
His message was blunt: the police will not retreat in the face of violence and the institutions, according to the official version, will be defended with determination. He also warned that people who used violence against officers or damaged public and private property will be identified and will face the law.
The statement by the head of the State Police places the emphasis on the legitimacy of the force used by the blue uniforms, but without giving additional clarification on public claims of excessive measures during the dispersal of protesters.
At this stage, it remains the police’s official version that is dominating public communication about the clashes, the use of tear gas and responsibility for the violence on the ground.