TIRANA, March 7 – The planned children’s playground in Tirana’s main park turned once again into an arena of physical confrontation this weekend between police and civil society protesters opposing the project leaving at least two people injured.
Civil society activists, who oppose concrete constructions in the city’s few remaining green areas, claim that new details have emerged on the project, which for the activists shows a lack of transparency by Tirana’s City Hall.
“The project results to be 11,000 square meters and not 4,000 square meters like the City Hall pretends,” civil society representatives told the media.
The protest started peacefully, but as the demonstrators tried to erect a tent inside the perimeter of the construction site, police intervened resulting in physical clashes with protesters. A policeman and one of the protesters lost consciousness following the confrontation. It is reported that also a local television journalist was hit by an officer, probably mistaken for a protester.
Several people were taken in by police for questioning, while other protesters gathered outside the police station asking for their release.
Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj described Sunday’s protesters as a hysterical mob who assaulted a policeman and journalist in duty.
“There is no excuse in assaulting people by claiming that you are protecting trees,” he wrote in a post on social networks.
Two weeks ago, the city park witnessed similar scenes as angry protesters tore down the enclosure of the construction site and damaged equipment.
The municipality has said that the area will turn into a children’s playground, but activists suspect business interests lie behind.
Following protests in February, Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj rejected such claims stating that that he will resign in case a single tree is cut down or a coffee house is build by June 1, when the children’s playground is expected to be inaugurated.
Veliaj also participated in the planting of 200 cherry trees in the park the same day the protest was staged on Sunday in what appeared to be a response to criticism of the projected children’s playground.
The construction of the playground has also been opposed by the opposition’s Democratic Party, which has filed a request for a local referendum on the issue with the Central Election Committee.
