Kukës, 1997 returns Police attacked with guns
After the road was blocked, traders clashed with police yesterday in Morinë
Police Director: The revolt has political support. Government: No concessions to criminals
After the road was blocked, traders clashed with police yesterday in Morinë Kukës, 1997 returns Police attacked with guns Police Director: The revolt has political support. Government: No concessions to criminals Page 2-3 Further unrest with a political backdrop is expected
The serious incident in Kukës is the first alarm siren warning that the period remaining until the local elections on 1 October will be marked by high political and police tensions. The revolt by traders from Kukës in a confrontation with police forces, as well as the latest attack on the city Police Commissariat building, are only a prelude to the wave of violent acts that may mark September, the first month of autumn, which will also be the peak phase of the election campaign. As in the past, certain political forces, regardless of which part of the spectrum they belong to, will most likely incite various conflicts to create a climate of tension in an effort to gain ground in the electoral race. Specifically, regarding what happened in Kukës, Police Director Ilirjan Dida himself said that the incident in Kukës “also has a political background.” Thus, it is no surprise if, during these 45 days separating us from election day, blockades of national roads return, along with explosives planted on high-voltage pylons—not to mention conflicts of a socioeconomic nature resulting, on the one hand, from problems already familiar to the population, such as water, electricity, etc., and, on the other, from objective difficulties in resolving them. In fact, both the ruling majority and the opposition, aware that the political climate in the country is worsening, have already begun making mutual accusations concerning responsibility for heightening tensions. Thus, while Minister Poçi, speaking about the role of the police during the elections, insinuated that the PD and Berisha were preparing scenarios to destabilize the situation, the opposition immediately returned the accusation in kind, accusing Poçi of preparing violence against the opposition. On the other hand, yesterday’s incident in Kukës once again exposed the sad reality of the state’s vulnerability in the face of those who break the law. The truth is that it all began with certain individuals’ insistence on refusing to submit to the law as equals under it. Everything that happened afterward, from the escalation of the conflict to the burning of police vehicles and the attack on the Commissariat building, was a consequence of the state’s inability to exercise a “firm hand” in the name of the rule of law. If the state continues to resort to making statements only after everything has happened, that means that the coming days will bring even worse times for Albanians. Otherwise, the hope that something will change will be evident in the firm stance the state must take against the instigators of the unrest in Kukës. Crime calls for bullets; otherwise, the bullets will fall on the heads of innocent ordinary people.