Albanian opposition protests despite warnings

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Albanian capital Tirana Friday for a silent protest closely monitored by police, a week after another demonstration turned deadly. The opposition went ahead with the protest in defiance of international appeals and police warnings, insisting it would be a peaceful gathering to honour the three people killed last week.
The demonstrators headed by the leadership of the opposition socialists and the families of the victims started their march on the government buildings, passing by the spot where the people were shot, placing flowers at the scene in silence. Organisers said there were 200,000 protesters but AFP journalists put the number at several tens of thousands. Police would give no figure. People poured into the downtown area near the government buildings, bringing traffic in central Tirana to a standstill. In the square in front of the government a stage had been set up and opposition leader Edi Rama, the mayor of the capital, was expected to address the crowds.
Pictures of the three fatalities of the last rally were placed on stage with the words 'justice' written on them in Albanian and English. Security was beefed up around Tirana with hundreds of anti-riot police deployed around government buildings alongside units of armed elite officers.
The protest was the main item on all Albanian TV channels which repeatedly broadcast an earlier statement by Rama pledging that the rally would be peaceful. "I want to assure you that it will be peaceful and quiet, there will be flowers and candles," Rama said late Thursday, urging everybody to resist possible provocation. The police have warned that the "demonstration represents a danger for national security" and that following last week's protests they "could not guarantee" a good outcome.
Despite Rama's pledge, people in the streets voiced fears that a growing sense of discontent with the political elite could trigger fresh violence. "We had a revolt of the frustrated people on January 21," Nertila Agolli, a 21-year old student, said. "The country is getting poorer and poorer and politicians richer and richer. I'm afraid that the poor are beginning to send a message they will not remain calm if the state continues not to address their needs," Agolli told AFP.
The opposition has refused to yield to repeated appeals by the international community to delay or cancel the protest in order to reduce tensions. Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Wednesday cancelled a pro-government rally planned for Saturday in response to international pressure to calm the situation.
Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Evaldas Ignatavicius was in Tirana Friday on behalf of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He met President Bamir Topi and urged all political forces to find a solution for the crisis, according to a statement from the presidency.
Last Friday, tens of thousands of people turned out for a protest rally organised by Rama, calling on the government to resign over allegations of corruption and electoral fraud. The subsequent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces left three people dead and a fourth critically wounded. This is the longest ever political crisis in Albania, which began after the opposition disputed the results from the June 2009 parliamentary election.
Albania, a Nato member since spring 2009, submitted an application for EU membership almost two years ago, but has not been given formal candidate status yet. Brussels has warned Tirana that the ongoing deadlock is one of the obstacles to progress on the path to EU membership.