Protester at the 86th Rally: Rama Must Leave, Crime and the State No Longer Differ

During the 86th protest, a young man declared that the rallies would continue without interruption until Prime Minister Edi Rama leaves office. According to him, the country’s many problems can only be resolved after the head of government steps down.

He said the protest still had much greater potential and that it was now time to move from denunciations to presenting concrete ideas.

“Tirana is alive and Albania is alive. I have been waiting for such a reaction for years. I believe this protest has much greater potential. After the denunciations, now is the time to talk about ideas as well,” the protester said.

According to him, if ideas are articulated during the protest, the movement will not stop and the system will be forced to take at least one step back.

He listed some of the problems that, in his view, characterize the country, mentioning the lack of trade unions, inadequate wages and the spread of corruption. “This country has no trade unions and has subsistence wages. Crime no longer differs from the state. A culture that feeds corruption is being created,” he declared.

The protester also accused Rama of refusing to accept arguments, instead producing news and scandals and confusing citizens through spectacles and façades. He described the prime minister as the only person who has a television station in his own name.

“How many years has it been since Rama appeared on television opposite someone? He destroyed the National Theatre. In broad daylight, he destroyed the hotel where he himself had had lunch who knows how many times—the hotel owned by the proprietor of News 24, let’s be frank,” he said.