Jeff Dokmo

Behind Every Picture, There's a Story.

Political Protest with 20,000

I’m not much of a reporter, nor do I know the full story enough to contrive my side, so I will just paste a headline of the events as reported by a professional.

“TIRANA, Albania — State hospital officials in Albania say three people been killed during a violent anti-government protest outside the prime minister’s office.
Ongoing clashes involving riot police and hundreds of pro-opposition protesters have also left 22 civilians and 17 policemen and national guard officers hurt, according to authorities.
More than 20,000 people attended a rally Friday organized by the Socialist party to demand that that conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha call early elections over because of a scandal over alleged corruption.” By The Associated Press (CP) as reported by ‘The Canadian Press.’

To give some context, I work about a block away from this place and bike by here at least twice a day. I went home and grabbed my camera. And here are my pictures from a brief excursion into the area (of course after things settled down a bit).

Some young men warm their hands in passing by the heat emitted from an overturned, burning garbage bin laying in the street.
Using cobble stones from the road beneath their feet, protesters improvise against the riot police - fully armed (occasionally shooting into the crowd) and using protective gear.
The calm after the storm. A few cars simmer after being burned and flipped just hours earlier in the heat of the riots. Riot police stand guard in the background in case of another uproar from the crowd (which has moved down the street a block by now).
The crowd is mostly dissipated by about 5:15pm. Some protesters walk the streets as things start to cool down, a few people still actively cast stones near the building directly across the street.
Friday, January 21st, 2011 at 11:59 am
Adjective - Descriptive News, Events
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