A day after students rejected dialogue with Prime Minister Edi Rama, the head of government again put chairs on the steps of the prime minister’s office today, with a sign reading “Dialogue.” Rama said the right to protest is undeniable, but stressed that every concern should be addressed through dialogue and not through acts of violence.
Despite facing violence the previous day, he remains open to dialogue with those who think differently from him and from the majority.
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“There are 1,001 grievances, hardships and problems; there may also be 1,001 reasons to protest, but no reason justifies violence. Every reason is another argument for dialogue—for dialogue among people who share the same homeland, among people who want the same thing: to make Albania better. The right to protest is undeniable; violence is a punishable crime. Yesterday, dialogue received a response of violence. Today, dialogue is here again. My hand is extended to those who think differently from me, and differently from the majority, which has been terrorized under the pressure of violence. But everything we want to do better, do more of, or do faster is achieved through work, through the income earned from work, and by directing that income to the problems that need solutions,” Rama said.
Despite his invitation to dialogue, Rama again attacked the young people, calling them violent and warning them of legal and financial consequences.
“Distance yourselves from violence; every perpetrator of violence will face a response. The response will not be delayed and will be consistent; it will be legal and financial. Anyone who damages public property will pay; anyone who damages someone else’s property will pay. No one’s freedom can extend into the space where the freedom of others begins, and no one’s rights can be imposed where others have the right to live under the shared sky of democratic and peaceful coexistence,” Rama said.
