Albania: Rama warns of "red line" as Brussels condemns violence
Prime Minister Edi Rama threatens rioters with legal and financial consequences. The European Commission calls for dialogue. Protests continued on Monday.
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Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has accused some protesters of crossing a "red line". He wrote on social media that protest is a right while violence is a crime. Rioters "must and will" bear legal and financial consequences, he said. Rama urged protesters to distance themselves from them and said he and the governing majority were ready for dialogue with anyone except rioters. Demonstrations continued across the country on Monday.
On Sunday, the sixth day of protests, police in Tirana used water cannon and tear gas. Protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, and police responded with rubber bullets. A police station was set on fire and the entrance to the interior ministry was damaged by fire. The health ministry said 28 people were injured on Sunday, 19 of them police officers. The students are protesting against poor university conditions, high tuition fees and corruption.
The European Commission said violence had "no place in a democratic society" and that the authorities' response "must remain within the law and proportionate". Albania is an EU candidate country. A 22-year-old student told AFP the movement would continue "until Rama resigns".