Women, Children and Elderly Confront Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Outside Parliament as Protest Is Met With Force

A protest held on Thursday outside the entrance to Albania's Parliament was marked by violent scenes as demonstrators protesting Prime Minister Edi Rama's government were met with tear gas, pepper spray and physical intervention by police.

The crowd included women, elderly people and children carrying banners, chanting slogans against the government and throwing eggs as a sign of protest. According to the account, police responded by using force to disperse the demonstrators.

Footage from the protest shows elderly people moving away through clouds of tear gas, women attempting to shield children from pepper spray, and protesters being forcibly removed by police officers. The scenes prompted strong reactions, as vulnerable groups were among those exposed to the crowd-control measures used by police.

Rather than ensuring the protest could proceed peacefully and safeguarding citizens' constitutional right to assemble, the government once again chose to respond to public discontent with force, the account states. The use of tear gas and pepper spray at a demonstration attended by children, women and elderly people has raised serious questions about the proportionality of the police response and the democratic standards governing the policing of public protests.