Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted again to the protest in Tirana, this time with a strong defense of the official version and direct attacks on the media. In a post on social media, he claims that Albania recorded more injured police officers than injured protesters, drawing comparisons with several other European countries where rallies are taking place.
Rama cites figures and defends the government’s version
According to Rama, a comparison with France, Spain, Germany and Romania shows that in Albania the ratio between those injured during the protest is different from that of other countries, because the number of injured police officers turns out to be higher than that of protesters.
The prime minister presents this as proof that the State Police, in his view, acted within its mission and did not behave in the way it has been publicly portrayed. However, in this response he does not provide the full detailed data that would allow an independent verification of this comparison.
Frontal attack on the media and social networks
In his reaction, Rama blames the media and social networks for building a narrative different from what he considers reality. According to him, on screens a crowd that at its peak was about 1,500 people was turned into heroes, while the State Police was portrayed as the aggressor.
The language used by the head of government was harsh and confrontational, with serious accusations against part of the media, which he links to corrupt interests and to the distortion of the event. These remain political claims made by him amid an intense public debate over the way the protest was handled.
Warning about the publication of faces
Rama went even further, declaring that very soon, according to him, people he calls “masked heroes” will be published with their faces and with facts, accusing them of terrorizing the country during the protest.
He claims that some of those presented as students have no connection to the university or student life. At this stage, the statement remains part of the prime minister’s official version and not an independently verified account.
The political message after the protest
At the end of his reaction, Rama drew a distinction between those he calls real students and violent participants, saying that challenging politics and the government should be done without attacking public and private property.
His reaction shows that the government is trying to frame the protest as an episode of manipulated violence rather than an expression of civic discontent. This is precisely where the most disputed point of the event remains: the clash between the official version and what the public has seen broadcast from the scene.
Beyond the strong political rhetoric, the central issue remains the same: how accurate is the tally of the injured, and how transparent have the institutions been in publishing the facts.
Without full and verifiable data, the statements of the parties remain part of the battle for the protest narrative, not necessarily of the proven truth.