Professors protest alongside students: State violence brought us into the streets, Rama’s invitation is a monologue

A large number of professors and representatives of the academic community joined the student march today. They described the young people’s demands as justified and said that, instead of remaining in empty lecture halls, they should stand alongside them in the streets.

According to the professors, the decision to join the protest came after what they described as unprecedented state violence against their children. They claimed that the police’s conduct was unparalleled and that officers violated professional protocols, exposing young people to tear gas and even entering cafés, where they used arbitrary violence.

The academics also referred to the 2018 protests, when, according to them, the prime minister held talks with the students but failed to fulfill any promises. They said that during this period there had only been a monologue, not dialogue, and therefore urged the students not to sit down for talks. In their view, broad discussions about the future can take place only after the prime minister resigns.

The professors and citizens present at the march conveyed strong political messages, calling on people not to remain silent and not to become slaves to their daily bread. They described this as a decisive moment for Albania and said that young people had now taken the country’s fate into their own hands.

The protesters declared that “dictators are overthrown, they do not resign.” They called the interior minister and the police director puppets, while urging the police not to fight against their own people in order to protect a dictator.