Albanian opposition protests TikTok ban alleging censorship ahead of election

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's opposition Saturday protested the left-wing government's decision to shut down TikTok, calling the move censorship ahead of May 11 parliamentary elections.

Last week, the Albanian Cabinet decided to shut down TikTok for 12 months, blaming the popular video-sharing platform for inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

The center-right Democratic Party called on citizens, especially younger ones who are the main users of TikTok, “to protest against a corrupt government that aims to keep under control the information received from the citizens,” according to its leader Sali Berisha on Friday.

Hundreds of Democrat protesters gathered in front of the main government building in the capital Tirana, shouting “Democracy” and Berisha's name. Many held placards including some that read: “Censorship, corruption, not TikTok.”

Only young supporters held speeches, not members of the party's leadership or Berisha himself.

The protesters accuse Socialist Party Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Cabinet of corruption, manipulating elections and usurping the powers of the judiciary.

The protest ended peacefully after one hour.

“TikTok will be back May 12," Berisha told journalists after the protest.

Albania will hold parliamentary election on May 11 when voters living abroad will for the first time be able to cast ballots from overseas.

Domestic polls show a major victory for the governing Socialists, who are seeking their fourth governing term since 2013.

Opposition Democrats were involved in internal disagreements after the United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 barred Berisha and close family members from entering their countries because of his alleged involvement in corruption.

Many of the Democrats' senior leaders created their own parties dividing the number of opposition supporters.

Berisha was released in November from 11 months of house arrest imposed after he violated a court order. Berisha is charged with corruption, but he says the charges are politically motivated.

In October, Tirana entered talks with the EU on alignment on issues including the rule of law, tackling corruption, foreign policy, security and defense. Rama has said he hopes to complete the negotiating process by 2027 and for Albania to become a bloc member by 2030.

Leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, is surrounded by protesters during a rally against the leftwing Socialist Party government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Protesters take part in a rally against the leftwing Socialist Party government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, makes statements during a rally against the leftwing Socialist Party government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

A protester raises a photograph of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama during a rally against the government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

A protester attends a rally against the leftwing Socialist Party government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

A protester holds a banner during a rally against the leftwing Socialist Party government's decision to shut down TikTok, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025. The banner reads: " You immigrated TikTok too". (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will seek to dismiss the head of the country's internal security service this week, deepening a power struggle focused largely on who bears responsibility for the Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu's effort to remove Ronen Bar as director of the Shin Bet follows an increasingly acrimonious dispute that also involves the security service's investigation into close aides of the prime minister.

Netanyahu said he has had “ongoing distrust” with Bar, and “this distrust has grown over time.”

In a statement, Bar replied that he planned to continue in the post for the near future and had told Netanyahu, citing “personal obligations” to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, finish “sensitive investigations” and prepare potential successors.

Bar also said Netanyahu’s expectation of a personal loyalty that contradicts the public interest is fundamentally wrong. But he emphasized to Netanyahu that he would respect any legal decision made regarding his tenure.

The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian militant groups, and recently issued a report accepting responsibility for its failures around the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. It also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government policies helped create the climate that led to it.

While the army concluded in a recent report that it underestimated Hamas’ capabilities, Shin Bet said it had a “deep understanding of the threat.” In veiled criticism of the government, the agency said its attempts to thwart the threat were not implemented.

“The investigation reveals a long and deliberate disregard from the political leadership from the organization’s warnings,” Bar's statement said.

Netanyahu has resisted calls for an official state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack and has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies. In recent months, a number of senior security officials, including a defense minister and army chief, have been fired or forced to step down.

Bar has been been one of the few senior security officials since the Oct. 7 attack to remain in office.

If successful in removing Bar, Netanyahu would be expected to appoint a loyalist in his place, slowing any momentum for the commission of inquiry. The prime minister said removing him would help Israel “achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster.”

Netanyahu’s proposed resolution for Bar’s dismissal would need the approval of parliament, the Knesset, and it is likely he has support to pass it.

However, a personnel decision of this magnitude must get the attorney general’s approval, said Amichai Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank. Cohen said Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara may challenge Netanyahu, setting up a court battle.

The two have a combative relationship, with the prime minister accusing Baharav-Miara of meddling in government decisions. Earlier this month, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, one of Netanyahu’s biggest supporters, initiated the process of firing her.

Cohen also called Netanyahu’s decision “very problematic." He said it illustrates the conflict of interest regarding Shin Bet investigations into connections between the prime minister’s office and Qatar, a mediator in talks on the war in Gaza, and the information Shin Bet published in its investigation into the failures ahead of the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu is angry that the Shin Bet is investigating members of his staff for their dealings with Qatar.

Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu’s former spokesperson, was reported by Israel’s Channel 12 to have worked for a Doha-based firm that recruited Israeli journalists to write pro-Qatar stories. Israel’s left-leaning daily, Haaretz, has reported that two other Netanyahu staffers, Jonatan Urich and Yisrael Einhorn, allegedly built a campaign to bolster Qatar’s image ahead of the 2022 World Cup there.

The Shin Bet, and Bar, have been closely involved with the hostage negotiations. Netanyahu recently removed Bar from the negotiating team and replaced him with a loyalist, Cabinet minister Ron Dermer.

Israeli media have reported on deep policy differences between the negotiators, who have pushed for a hostage deal, and Netanyahu, who continues to threaten to resume the war.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of attempting to fire Bar over the investigation into connections between the prime minister's office and Qatar, and said he would appeal the dismissal, calling the resolution “shameful” and politically motivated.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a good-governance civil society group, called Netanyahu’s announcement a “declaration of war on the rule of law” and claimed that he does not have the authority to take the step against Bar because of the investigations into his own office.

Since Netanyahu was indicted on corruption charges in 2019, he has claimed to be the victim of a deep state conspiracy by the media, judiciary and other unelected civil servants.

He launched a plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system in early 2023, sparking months of street protests by demonstrators who accused him of trying to weaken the country’s system of checks and balances. Israeli media have said Bar was among top security officials to warn ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that the internal strife was sending an image of weakness to Israel’s enemies.

FILE - Ronen Bar, chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency, attends a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool photo via AP, File)