For three days, Albania has been gripped by a powerful wave of protests, with young people at the center of the revolt. They are raising their voices against the political class and demanding the removal of Prime Minister Edi Rama from power.
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Yesterday, too, the protests continued until late in the evening, with large numbers of students, parents and civil society activists taking part. During the gatherings, there were fierce clashes with law enforcement forces, which used heavy-handed measures such as rubber batons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The movement has not remained confined to the capital. Various cities across Albania have joined the protest, while secondary-school students and university students have left their classes to take to the streets, demanding their rights and a better outlook for the future.
The slogans that prevailed at the rallies included calls such as “Rama, resign!”, “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison” and “Your end has come,” clearly expressing the deep dissatisfaction of Albanian youth with the country’s political establishment.
Considerable material damage has also been reported during the unrest, including damage to public infrastructure and the burning of several institutions and private businesses. Dozens of protesters have been detained by the authorities, in some cases through the use of force.
Despite the tensions and confrontations, the youth revolt is expected to continue today, while it remains to be seen whether the demands for political change and Rama’s resignation will receive any response from state institutions.
Professor and doctor Enver Bytyçi emphasizes that the main target of this protest is precisely the prime minister.
According to him, the essence of the protest lies in the prime minister’s irrevocable resignation. “This is the third day that students, and now also secondary-school students and pupils from other schools, have joined a powerful protest against the anti-national and denationalizing policies of the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama. The target of this protest is the prime minister himself. Albanian students and young people are demanding a drastic change in governance and the protection of national and civic interests by the country’s institutions. Today, the protest also spread to other districts. Durrës presented the same picture as Tirana. Tirana has been in flames for three days, but today Durrës and Korçë also showed that they are at risk of being engulfed in flames if Edi Rama does not resign. The essence of the protest is the prime minister’s irrevocable resignation. Today, in a public appearance, he condemned the protests as ‘acts of vandalism’! In fact, the greatest vandalism has come to Albania from the theft of our national wealth by the gang in power and the criminal organization headed by Edi Rama. There is no protest or uprising that could harm Albania more than this government, which is greedy for power and wealth and committed to handing our assets over to foreigners. Edi Rama also told Reuters today that he would not resign. But Edi Rama’s resignation is no longer in his hands. The confrontation is between the youth and students on one side and the criminal organization and drug cartels in Albania on the other,” Bytyçi told Bota sot.
Bytyçi describes the protests as a revolution, emphasizing that they should be viewed as progressive acts and a guarantee for the country’s future.
“The protests by students, pupils and young people in Tirana and throughout Albania are the first historic revolution in our country, aimed at our national revival. There have been many violent attempts in Albania to overthrow regimes and change systems, but there has never been a revolution like this one to raise Albania to the level of the advanced European nations. Therefore, the protests should be viewed as progressive acts and a guarantee for the future of our country. From this moment on, Albania can hope that the emigration of Albanians abroad will stop and that the immigration of Asians and Africans into this country will be curbed,” the professor says.
According to Bytyçi, the solidarity of the youth, students and all citizens of Kosovo is of particular importance.
He emphasizes that the time has come for Kosovo to show the same attitude toward their brothers in Albania, just as Albanians in Albania have never remained indifferent to developments in Kosovo.
“I dwelled somewhat at length on what is happening in Albania and the reasons behind this classic revolution because I want to say that Albanian youth have now confronted an anti-national regime. The awakening of these young people and their sacrifice are the most beautiful things to have happened in the past three decades, since Albanians in Albania had lost hope that our country could emerge from complete collapse and certain national bankruptcy. For this reason, the solidarity of the youth, students and all citizens of Kosovo is extremely important. Albanians in Albania have never remained indifferent to protests and developments in Kosovo. The time has come for Kosovo to demonstrate the same attitude toward their brothers in Albania. Kosovo’s indifference toward these protests and events in Tirana and throughout our country is harmful and unacceptable,” Bytyçi says.
There is no reason for Albanians in Kosovo to remain silent and pretend that nothing is happening, Bytyçi adds.
“I know that any solidarity from Kosovo with Albania will be met with harsh reactions from the leaders of Tirana’s anti-Albanian regime. But this is no reason for Albanians in Kosovo to remain silent and act indifferent. The protests in Tirana, which are spreading throughout the country, as far as Kukës, are opening the way first and foremost to a new union between our two states. They should also be viewed as a reaction against the anti-Kosovo policies of the Rama government and the prime minister himself. They should be valued as a major contribution to Kosovo’s completion as a state and to its future. Therefore, if Kosovo, its youth and students, rise up to support their brothers and sisters in Tirana, Durrës, Shkodër, Korçë, Vlorë, Elbasan, Kukës and everywhere else, they should know that they are helping the future of the Albanian nation in the Balkans,” the professor underlines.
At the end, he says that the best alternative would be to travel to Tirana, even for just one day, to take an active part in opposing Edi Rama’s regime.
Fear of accusations that “there is interference in Albania’s internal affairs” is unfounded, Bytyçi emphasizes.
“Kosovo and its youth can provide assistance and solidarity to the anti-government protests in Albania in various ways. The best option would be excellent organization to announce a visit, even if only for one day, to Tirana, with the aim of actively participating against Edi Rama’s regime. If this happens, the enthusiasm and determination of protesters in Tirana and throughout Albania would increase to the maximum. Meanwhile, the combined, multiplied strength of Albania and Kosovo would force the Albanian prime minister to resign. Resignation is the primary goal, but not the final one. After the resignation, the protesters are demanding changes to the anti-national laws passed by the parliament that approved them. Without the support of students from Pristina, Prizren, Gjakova, Ferizaj, Mitrovica, Gjilan and elsewhere, the goal of the protesters in Albania will not be achieved easily. But the solidarity of Kosovo’s youth and students can also be expressed through solidarity protests in the respective cities I mentioned above. Fear of accusations that ‘there is interference in Albania’s internal affairs’ is unreasonable. Any rational logic understands that solidarity is always a means and a form of achieving common national goals. Now or never. Albania is on the brink of catastrophe. Either it escapes this unimaginable catastrophe of the alienation of our homeland, or we save it once and for all. The solidarity of Kosovo, as well as that of Albanian youth and students in North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Preševo Valley and everywhere else, is an additional source of strength for the protesters in Tirana,” the professor concludes.
