Tirana – AFP
An Albanian opposition leader was punched in the face on Tuesday during an anti-government demonstration near the site of a summit of European Union leaders and their counterparts from the western Balkans in Tirana.
Sali Berisha, the former President and Prime Minister of Albania, was leading hundreds of protesters marching towards the summit venue when a 31-year-old man emerged from the crowd and attacked Berisha, 78. Local media broadcast pictures of the attack, as the former leader continued to address the crowd, while security guards subdued the attacker.
The police confirmed that an investigation had been opened once morest the man, who “takes drugs and has a history.” Berisha said the attack was a “criminal act instigated by the state police”.
Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama condemned the incident “unequivocally”. Rama said in a statement: “Violence is not, was not, and will not be a tool to solve a problem or obsession, and everyone who resorts to violence must face the force of the law.” The opposition (centre-right), led by Berisha, was demonstrating to shed light on the supposed government corruption among the participants in the summit.
