Cristina Guarda after the 30th protest in Tirana: Albanian citizens are sending a strong message

Cristina Guarda, an Italian MEP from the Greens Group in the European Parliament, took part in the 30th citizens’ protest held in Tirana and praised the commitment of the participants, describing it as a powerful signal in defense of nature, human rights and democracy.

In an interview with News24, she said that her visit to Albania was intended to gain a first-hand understanding of the reality in the country.

“As the Greens Group in the European Parliament, we felt very close to the protests, since they began with environmental issues. But, from our perspective, we certainly noticed that something more was happening. And we wanted to see not only the places, but also to speak directly with people, to speak with civil society, and also to speak with politicians, so that we could better understand what is happening here in Albania,” the MEP said.

Asked by News24 journalist Erion Kaçorri how she assessed the civic mobilization and the message it conveys, Guarda said that the high turnout and the peaceful nature of the protest had left a strong impression on her.

“I felt very proud of you, because I felt that this mobilization is calling people from different backgrounds, the elderly, the young, children, families together in a peaceful way, and I felt a truly powerful message. To this day, we also see in Europe that perhaps we do not value enough what we have, the laws and the opportunities we have, and seeing people rising up to be heard, to defend nature and human rights, I felt the message was very powerful,” she declared.