A few hours before the “Kosovo is waiting” march is due to begin, the Ulpiana neighborhood in Pristina has been filled with red-and-black flags, national symbols and large numbers of citizens.

Residents of the capital and other participants have come out to obtain flags and national symbols, while the rally is expected to begin at 2 p.m.

Liridon Kabashi is one of the citizens who will join the march. He said that he would take part together with his family, expressing hope that the liberation fighters would be released and return to Kosovo.

“Yes, of course we will take part in the march. With the family, with the family. With the family, that is. We are expecting the liberation fighters to be released and return to Kosovo. We hope they will be released, but they must then use their own means as a second resort, and we strongly and firmly believe in their innocence,” Kabashi said.

Xhevdet Jakaj, a former member of the KLA, said he believed that the former KLA leaders would be found not guilty. He also recounted his experience during the war.

“Of course they will be released because they are innocent. They fought for their own country; they did not go to Serbia or elsewhere to kill anyone, but fought to protect their children, their mothers and their fathers, and for that they will be found not guilty. Yes, I am a soldier. I left Switzerland when I was 17, and I took my brother with me. In ’98, I was in Albania, in the special unit in Durrës, for one week, and then I went to Koshare. We were wounded in Koshare,” Jakaj said.

Citizens from Tetova are also expected to join the march in Pristina. Bekim Matrançi, from Pallatica, said that he and his fellow citizens regularly take part in such activities in Pristina, Tirana, Skopje and elsewhere.

“Yes, we have always taken part—in Pristina, Tirana, Skopje and elsewhere. We are convinced that they will be released. They are innocent and will be released; they will be released 100 percent,” Matrançi said.

Bekim Xheladini, also from Tetova, expressed his expectation that the former KLA members would be released. He said that he himself had been a KLA member in Macedonia.

“Of course they will come today. Of course they will come together today. Of course! We had them as fighters, that’s right. It is right! Of course it is right!” Xheladini said.

Ramazan Mehmeti, from the village of Pallatica in Tetova, came to Pristina to express his support for the former KLA members.

“We support our fighters who made a contribution and gave their youth for this—for the youth here, for who we are. We support them and impatiently await their release. They are innocent. Their youth was given for this country, for this people, for this youth, and the Albanian people must support them, because if it were not for them, there would be neither Kosovo nor Albania nor Albanianhood,” Mehmeti said.

The “Kosovo is waiting” march is taking place today in Pristina and is expected to be attended by citizens from Kosovo as well as from Albanian-inhabited territories.

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Citizens will gather again this evening on “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, on the 55th day of the anti-government protest, reiterating that they will not stop until, according to them, the “overthrow of this political caste.”

Organizers have called on citizens from across the country to join the protest, declaring that pressure on the government will continue every day until their political objectives are achieved.

They accuse the government of corruption, state capture, and disregard for citizens’ demands.

A day earlier, in the morning, the protest moved to the Parliament building, where there were strong tensions with police forces. Protesters pelted the vehicles transporting MPs with eggs, while officers intervened using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd and create a corridor for parliamentarians to enter and exit.

During the incidents, there were also physical clashes, and some protesters were taken into custody by police.

In the evening, the protest continued in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, after which citizens marched through the streets of Tirana, continuously chanting “Rama, resign,” “Rama to prison, Berisha to prison,” “New Albania” and “Revolution.”

Organizers declared that the protest is no longer just against the government, but against the entire political class which, according to them, has held the country hostage for years.

Even today, a considerable turnout is expected at the next gathering, while organizers have reiterated that the protests will continue without interruption until the government’s removal and, according to them, the beginning of a new political change in the country.

The post Citizens demand Rama’s resignation / 55 days of revolt! Violence and arrests fail to stop the revolt appeared first on Albeu.com.

From an initial reaction to the Zvërneci project, this initiative has turned into a nationwide citizen wave that targets not only the executive but the entire political establishment. Every day, crowds have marched on “Dëshmorët e Kombit” Boulevard, displaying speeches, slogans, and emblems that have now become distinctive marks of this movement.

During last night’s gathering, participants reaffirmed their determination. Speakers announced that the resistance will continue uninterrupted throughout the entire summer season, until September, and called on both residents and the diaspora to stand by the square.

Even on the 44th day, the chants “Rama to prison, Berisha to prison,” “Revolution,” and “New Albania” were dominant. Activists, voices from the diaspora, and ordinary citizens took the podium, stressing the need to continue the resistance until the protest platform is fulfilled.

According to organizers, gatherings will be held every day, without a day off, throughout the summer – a period they consider the most crucial stages of the movement. They aim for pressure on the government not only to be maintained but also to increase until early autumn.

Carrying this spirit, the 45th day of protest begins today, as citizens will regroup in front of the Prime Minister’s Office to continue what they see as an open-ended resistance, without a deadline, until the cabinet falls.

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After speeches delivered in front of the Prime Minister’s Office building, the demonstrators set off on a march through the streets of the capital, expressing their opposition to the government and the political class.

During the march, chants were heard such as “Your end has come,” “Revolution,” “More tomorrow,” “Arrest Rama,” “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison,” and “Albania demands revolution.”

The protesters declared that they would continue without backing down until Prime Minister Edi Rama is removed, while the march continued for several hours through Tirana’s main streets.

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The protest is part of a series of gatherings that began more than a month ago against a luxury seaside resort project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The protests, which organizers have called the ‘Flamingo Revolution,’ initially began as opposition to the tourism development project in the Narta Lagoon because of environmental concerns. Over the weeks, they have turned into broader political protests against the government and Prime Minister Edi Rama,” AP writes.

According to the authorities, police used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons to disperse the crowd after protesters threw stones, eggs, plastic bottles and other objects at officers.

Authorities announced that 12 police officers were injured in the clashes, while 18 protesters were detained.

In recent weeks, thousands of citizens have taken to the streets blowing whistles and carrying cardboard flamingo figures, one of the protected species of migratory birds whose habitats, according to opponents of the project, could be endangered by the construction of the resort on the Adriatic coast.

On the other hand, the Albanian government has defended the project, arguing that development in the Narta Lagoon will be transformative for the country’s economy, in efforts to attract elite tourism and advance the process of integration into the European Union.

“On Thursday, several hundred protesters gathered in front of Parliament in Tirana, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and chanting: ‘Rama must go to prison,’” AP writes.

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