Tirana Puts a €5,500 Price on Protest

Albania’s government introduced fines of up to 500,000 leks (€5,500) on Wednesday for people present at demonstrations that turn violent, as daily protests in Tirana demand Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. The rules took effect immediately, but need parliamentary approval within 45 days to remain in force. A protester doesn’t have to be accused of personally committing violence to face a penalty: the measures cover anyone who chooses to remain in a crowd carrying out violence or looting, as well as people concealing their identity.

The Cost of Staying in the Crowd

The maximum fine sits beside a reported average monthly salary before tax of €930. The measures don’t limit penalties to people directly involved in violence. They make remaining in a crowd where violence or looting occurs a basis for punishment, while also targeting people who conceal their identity. That places a broad boundary around who may be penalised as a demonstration escalates.

Police can temporarily restrict gatherings in specified areas if they consider there to be a risk of violence. Those areas may include places near schools, healthcare facilities and government buildings. The rules also introduce penalties for inciting violence online. They provide compensation for small businesses damaged during protests, another response to the damage that has accompanied the clashes.

The measures arrive after months of anti-government demonstrations. In recent days, protests on Tirana’s streets have escalated into clashes between protesters and security forces. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds. More than 350 people have been injured in clashes between protesters and police, while official estimates put protest damage since mid-October at more than €2 million.

From a Nature Reserve to the Streets

The movement began peacefully in May, without a leader, with demonstrations against a luxury hotel project in a nature reserve linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s family. By mid-October, protesters had also raised concerns about alleged corruption, shortcomings in the healthcare system and limited opportunities for young people in a country of 2.3 million people.

Now the government’s response includes financial penalties for people caught in the circumstances described by the new rules, along with police powers to restrict gatherings in designated areas. Parliamentary approval remains necessary for the measures to continue beyond the immediate period set out by the government. The crowd is already facing tear gas and water cannon; the law adds the prospect of a substantial bill.

A Wider European Script

Rama said on Sunday that he had drawn inspiration from a French bill passed by the upper house of parliament on Wednesday. That bill would make protesters financially responsible for damage caused during demonstrations, with proposed payments of up to €10,000. In Italy, a new security decree introduced tougher penalties for violent protests, including prison sentences of four to 12 years for organising groups involved in violent demonstrations.

Across Albania, France and Italy, the measures described in the article attach financial or criminal consequences to protest-related conduct. In Albania, the rules reach beyond people directly involved in violence to those who remain in a crowd where violence or looting takes place. Whether they remain in force depends on parliamentary approval within 45 days. For now, the government has made the penalty immediate, while the people in the streets carry the risk of injury, restricted assembly and fines.