You can break students’ legs, but not their dignity / Today another protest, Gjekmarkaj’s call: parents must not leave them alone, lecturers have a moral duty…

The deputy leader of the Democratic Party (PD) and MP Agron Gjekmarkaj has reacted after clashes between police and students at the protest outside the Ministry of Education, accusing the government of using violence and contempt toward protesters.

In a reaction published on social media, Gjekmarkaj describes the student tied to the ministry’s fence as a symbol of real Albania, while the images of police violence, he says, show how those in power confront citizens.

“The police officers who broke students’ legs are the true face of this government! The student tied to the Ministry’s fence is the face of real Albania,” Gjekmarkaj writes.

Meanwhile, as another protest is expected today outside the Ministry of Education, Gjekmarkaj calls on parents, lecturers and society to stand by the students, stressing that security institutions must not be used to protect the interests of political power.

Reaction:

THE POLICE OFFICERS WHO BROKE THE STUDENTS’ LEGS ARE THE TRUE FACE OF THIS GOVERNMENT! THE STUDENT TIED TO THE MINISTRY’S FENCE IS THE FACE OF REAL ALBANIA!

The images of police officers who abused students and of the student tied to the ministry’s fence are proof of a government that confronts citizens through force, arrogance and contempt.

Society must stand with the students, parents must not leave them alone, lecturers have a moral obligation to be by their side!

The state uniform cannot be used as a shield for political power or as a weapon against those who protest.

Ervin Demo, who has been a lecturer, cannot behave like a butcher of human flesh; he must reject this metamorphosis!

After 135 days of protests, the government was scared, but as soon as it thought the danger had passed, it returned to provocative and triumphalist language.

Students are protesting because their diplomas do not guarantee them a future, employment is conditioned by party connections, their families face political patronage and living costs, especially rents in Tirana; a lifetime is not enough to buy a home!

Such circumstances make it impossible for them to build a dignified future.

Their dissatisfaction is also linked to a political system that does not change, that controls, steers and takes your vote by blackmail.

When these young people were four years old, Mirela Kumbaro was culture minister; today, as they start university, they find her again in government, now at the helm of education, 14 years without interruption.

This is the model on offer: a generation grows up while those in power remain the same! Generations change, but the prime minister is always Edi Rama and one party is the state!

Scandals multiply, political rotation is blocked, and institutional decision-making is accompanied by pressure and contempt for anyone who opposes.

The territorial reform was approved in this climate, as further proof of the government’s arrogance and to break the protesters’ morale!

Faced with the students’ revolt, the government chose batons, violence