By Prof. Romeo Hanxhari
We are all against violence. What is violence? Here are examples of public violence that has long been inflicted on the younger generation, from the time of “këpërata” to “the magician’s salary.” A young female MP who does not know the “rule of three” is committing public violence.
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This is a slap in the face of every normal student in Albania. They receive the message that school is pointless and begin to rebel against it. An MP who dares to explain the rule of three on television without knowing it is committing public violence. This is mockery directed at every student with self-respect. They receive the message that in Albania, you can know nothing and still boast about yourself. A young female MP who confuses “magician” with “magistrate” is committing public violence. This is a punch in the face of every young person’s hope for meritocracy.
They receive the message that knowledge has no value, and begin to despise it. An MP who has the audacity to use the word “pen” instead of “slip of the tongue” is committing public violence. This is a Molotov cocktail thrown at the head of every young person who opens a book to gain knowledge. They receive the message that you can be ignorant and still lead. An official who drinks wine costing 32,000 euros a bottle is committing public violence.
This is a blow to the head of every young person who calculates their mortgage payment from their salary. They receive the message that they are living for nothing and working even more pointlessly. …These are only some of the forms of violence perpetrated by this parliament and government, which do not represent these young people. And here I am not even talking about the public violence inflicted through the ugly process of political patronage or the condemnable process of vote-buying…
These abuses have social consequences. They produce a frustrated generation. They produce an accumulation of anger like a time bomb. They produce social turmoil in which the devil can recruit blind soldiers or useful idiots. We know that the devil does not want Albania in the EU, but the government’s duty is not to create the conditions in which he can fish. The government does not want to read this situation, because unfortunately it is its direct or indirect author.
By refusing to read it, the government avoids a solution, because a solution would first require the elimination of the mechanisms of political patronage and vote-buying, leading to the loss of political power. Thus, this stagnation, charged with anger and disappointment, is freely exploited by the radical neo-Marxist left and other highly dangerous and hostile radical currents that are anti-European, anti-Semitic, and hostile to Albania.
This brings us to the point where an active part of the younger generation is motivated or manipulated and, consequently, may also be steered toward violence. Violence is of course not being carried out by the students, but certainly by a portion of young people. That is enough. A violent minority—whether organized or paid, it makes little difference—and a silent majority in the face of violence—whether indifferent or frightened, it makes little difference—are enough to create a failed society prone to decline. Violence against institutions then leads to violence against businesses and citizens.
But this violence, which is condemnable and dangerous, does not harm the government. It harms Albania. On the other hand, by highlighting only the violence of a manipulated minority and not the legitimate anger of the healthy majority, the government, through the use of the police, touches the state-loving nerve of a population that seeks order and calm. In this way, the government presents itself as Albania’s savior and regains political power in the next elections, continuing to rely on the same base political and electoral mechanisms, and then continuing to inflict public violence through ignorant MPs or officials.
So here we find ourselves in a vicious cycle. The public violence of the mocking arrogance of those in power provokes the indignation of the majority of young people and creates an environment for the manipulated violence of a minority among them. On the other hand, the violence of this minority of young people is used to increase the authority of the state and to continue the violence of the arrogance of those in power.
None of these forms of violence is acceptable, much less justifiable. This vicious cycle of violence must be broken. Without losing sight for even a second of the absolute priority of European integration, and without yielding an inch when it comes to the state, responsibility for the first move lies with those in power. The Gordian knot was once untied through decisive action. …Now is the time to address our knot with a wise action.
