In a live social media communication, Prime Minister Edi Rama described the student revolt against him, which for five days has been accompanied by tensions and clashes, as a “trap set by violence that demands blood.”
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Rama also recalled the killings of January 21, comparing that situation with today’s protests. He condemned the use of stones, screws, and other objects against the police, calling the perpetrators criminals, but stressed that they remain children of Albania and that their lives are worth more than anything else.
Rama emphasized that restraint must be the main principle in this situation. According to him, physical damage can be repaired quickly, but the other consequences created by this situation are greater.
“With a drop of water in the ocean of wonders being said and spread, I decided to be here today, to look you in the eye and for you to look me in the eye, and to try to say my things, because for several days, since this flame began, I have tried not to get involved and to follow and coordinate with great patience an effort that is not at all easy, so as not to fall into the set trap of violence that demands blood. Blood is being demanded. And I know the history of this boulevard. I know it better. What happened on January 21 is still fresh in my memory, when there were a few sporadic fires here and there in this perimeter, not a cauldron, not a car, but where no institution was touched by anything, where no Molotov cocktail was thrown, where no one from the law enforcement forces was harmed or burned, and where 4 protesters were shot dead from this building. And dozens of others were wounded, who, unlike today, could not even make it to the hospital.
Beyond the fact that those who throw stones and iron bolts and screws to gouge out the eyes of the police are criminals, I still keep well in mind that they are blind children of Albania and their lives are worth more than anything else at the end of the day. So restraint is the A and Z of this story. Meanwhile, of course, the damage is not small, but all of it can be repaired quickly as far as physical damage is concerned. There are other great damages about which I will try to speak. That is why I have been somewhat involved and the field has been left open for those who begin and end their day inciting violence. The screens of violence, where you hear no one clearly condemn the violence. This is one of thousands of stones ripped from the sidewalks of the boulevard to be thrown at the police. It is a weapon that can become deadly,” he said.
