A total of 156 people have been injured during four days of protests in Tirana, including 97 police officers, 45 protesters and 14 bystanders, Albania’s Interior Minister Ervin Demo said.
In a statement published on social media, Demo wished all those injured a speedy recovery and confirmed that four minors were among them.
The minister condemned the involvement of children in violent incidents, urging parents not to allow minors to be drawn into political confrontations.
“Using minors in deeply political acts, and especially putting their lives at risk in the name of a struggle for power, is an act of disgrace that should not go unnoticed or uncondemned by Albanian society as a whole,” Demo wrote.
He said he had repeatedly instructed the police to exercise particular care when dealing with minors.
Demo also addressed people arrested or facing legal proceedings over alleged acts of violence. He claimed that only a small number of them were students and said they had no connection to what he described as a politically motivated violent scenario.
The minister accused protest organizers of exploiting violence for political purposes, citing damage to public institutions, road signs and private property.
