FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In the midst of the mega-protest that filled Tirana's boulevard, an Albanian woman from Italy delivered one of the strongest messages of the evening, accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of stealing the diaspora's vote and demanding his resignation.
Among the thousands of protesters who filled the boulevard in the 21st anti-government protest, the voice of the diaspora was one of the strongest this evening.
From the protest podium, a citizen from Milan addressed Prime Minister Edi Rama directly, declaring that "all the stolen votes" of Albanians abroad are in front of his office.
" We are all the votes you stole in the diaspora here tonight ," she said to applause from protesters.
In her speech, the protester said that the diaspora did not come to Tirana just to protest, but to show that it stands on the same side as the citizens who have been filling the squares against the government for three weeks.
" Today we are here to bring you a clear message. The Milanese diaspora walks side by side with the Tirana protesters. We have raised our voices in Italy just as you are raising them here today. Albania is our country and we will support it until the end ," she said.
The protester also claimed that their cause is being pursued outside Albania.
" We are not alone. I want to tell Rama that we also have the support of the MEPs of the European Parliament. They are following us step by step, they are listening to our voice, they are reading the banners one by one ," she declared.
The speech ended with a direct call for the prime minister's resignation.
" Mr. Rama, I wish you the path to resignation to be as easy as possible ," said the protester.
Amidst the red and black flags, the cries of "Rama out" and the massive participation of the diaspora, the messages from the protest podium showed that a portion of Albanian emigrants have chosen to return to the country not for vacation, but to join the protest that has been challenging the government and the political class for 21 days.
Një i ri nga Mirdita, i cili tha se prej vitesh jeton në diasporë, iu drejtua protestuesve të mbledhur para Kryeministrisë me një mesazh të fortë për rikthimin e emigrantëve dhe marrjen në dorë të fatit të vendit.
Gjatë fjalës së tij, ai falënderoi shqiptarët e diasporës që ishin kthyer për t’iu bashkuar protestës, ndërsa u bëri thirrje edhe atyre që ndodhen ende jashtë vendit të rikthehen në Shqipëri.
“Diaspora e do Shqipërinë pa interes. U bëj thirrje të gjithë atyre që nuk janë kthyer të vijnë me dinjitet dhe të marrin fatin në dorë”, deklaroi ai.
Protestuesi ndau edhe përvojën e tij personale si emigrant, duke ngritur shqetësimin për largimin e shqiptarëve nga vendi dhe pasojat që ky fenomen ka sjellë te familjet.
Në fjalën e tij, ai përmendi figura të njohura të historisë kombëtare, si Jeronim De Rada, Nënë Tereza dhe Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, duke i cilësuar si shembuj frymëzimi për shqiptarët kudo që ndodhen.
Në fund të fjalimit, i riu recitoi edhe vargje të At Gjergj Fishtës, duke e mbyllur mesazhin me një thirrje për rikthimin e diasporës në Shqipëri.
“The ska bir nane që na merr pushtetit…Unë ju them që ka edhe bir nanë…Është ai msuesi që jep edhe nga jeta e vet për të edukuar nxënësit. Bir none është doktori që i thehet zemra kur i thotë pacientit se nuk ka ilaçe. Është e pandershme që një shqiptarët të trajtohet kështu. Pse fëmijët e mi duhej të flisnin në gjuhë të huaj?
Këta pengmarrës na e kanë mohuar. Falënderoj gjithë diasporën që ka ardhur, por u bëj thirrje atyre që nuk janë kthyer të vijnë me dinjitet dhe të marrin fatin në dorë. Diaspora e do Shqipërinë pa interes. Ishte Jeronim de Rada që nisi “Rilindjen”, ishte, Nënë Tereza që i tregoi botës dashurinë për njerëzimin, Skënderbeu që bashkoi njerëzit.
Me fuqinë e Skënderbeut do t’i pushtoni këta pengmarrës. Jam amator, por do të them disa vargje nga Fishta për rikthimin e diasporës. Kthehuni shqipe”, tha ai.
"Albanians dream every day of returning to their homeland and we are creating the conditions for this to happen. " This was one of the main messages of activist Arilda Lleshi during her speech at the 21st protest taking place in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tirana.
From the protest podium, Lleshi focused on the phenomenon of emigration, stating that the departure of Albanians does not come from a lack of desire to live in their country, but from a lack of opportunities and development.
"We are emigrating precisely because you have denied us development. Albania is not at war, but people are leaving like in the '90s ," she said.
The activist said that the diaspora remains closely connected to Albania and that many emigrants would like to return if they found better living conditions and opportunities to build a future in the country.
During her speech, Lleshi emphasized that a society cannot be considered complete without the return of the diaspora, while calling for more opportunities and fewer obstacles for those who choose to return.
Speaking about her personal experience as a returned immigrant, she said that she has faced injustice and difficulties, but that returning to Albania was the right decision.
"They left us, but the time has come to drag them away. Albanians are one of the peoples most attached to their country. They dream every day of returning if the conditions are ripe, and now we are ripening the conditions ourselves.
The Prime Minister says that we do not want development, we are emigrating precisely because you have denied us development.
They do not want our development, but our land. A society is incomplete if it does not return the emigrants, it is very simple, we must free the market and politics from capture. Many emigrants have returned, but when they were faced with injustices, they ran away.
Why should we emigrate as if we were at war? Like in the 90s?
I myself am a returned emigrant, I have faced the surrender of Albanians and the violence of the government, but when I see you, I say that it was the best decision. Welcome home, emigrants," she said.
In the 21st anti-government protest, participants demanded the resignation of Edi Rama, but also rejected the old political class. Among the strongest chants were "New Albania", "Rama in prison" and "Berisha in prison".
Unusual scenes in the capital. Thousands of protesters have filled the entire boulevard from Skanderbeg Square to the Prime Minister's Office, in what is considered the largest protest since the movement began 21 days ago.
A stream of people has invaded the center of Tirana this evening, creating one of the largest protests in recent years. The "Martyrs of the Nation" Boulevard has been filled from one end to the other with protesters from all over Albania, but also from the diaspora, in a mobilization that organizers and participants consider historic.
Red and black flags, banners, national symbols and calls against the government have dominated the atmosphere, while thousands of citizens have marched towards the Prime Minister's Office on the 21st day of protests that began after the developments in Zvërnec and have now turned into a movement against the government and the political class.
The participation of the diaspora was one of the most prominent elements of today's protest. Thousands of Albanians from various European countries joined the crowd, turning the boulevard into a sea of red and black flags.
Among the chants that dominated the protest were "Rama go away", "Rama resign", "Rama in prison", "Berisha in prison", "New Albania" and "Your end has come".
One of the protesters said that the movement does not only aim to remove Edi Rama, but also calls for a radical change in the political class.
" New Albania, the first point we want is that you not be part of it. We want a new Albania, with people who are not thieves like you. We want a new Albania, with Albanians who love Albania and who will work for the people and not for their pockets. We do not negotiate this with the prime minister ," she said.
According to the protester, the citizens' message is clear and spares neither the government nor the traditional opposition.
" The citizens have a simple demand: Rama in prison, Berisha in prison ," she declared amid applause from the protesters.
In an appeal to Democratic Party supporters, she urged that the protest not be seen as a clash between parties.
" I have a call for all the DP members who have come. I invite them to come as citizens. There is no need for division. The goal is a new, untainted political class. Justice decides who will go to prison. Albanians support SPAK ," she said.
Three weeks after the protests began, today's turnout and the complete filling of the boulevard constitute the largest demonstration of the strength of this movement to date, which is increasingly articulating the demand for the removal of Edi Rama and for a "New Albania" outside the boundaries of traditional politics.
Protesta e 21-të kundër qeverisë, e zhvilluar këtë të shtunë para Kryeministrisë në Tiranë, është shoqëruar me mesazhe dhe thirrje të forta nga qytetarët pjesëmarrës.
Mes tyre ishte edhe banorja e Rrjollit, Luçiana Kokaj, e cila iu përgjigj deklaratave të kryeministrit Edi Rama për një “kontratë për Shqipërinë e re”, duke theksuar se ai nuk mund të jetë pjesë e saj.
“Ke keqkuptuar diçka zoti kryeministër, sepse Shqipëria e re, pikën e parë të kontratës e ka që ti të mos jesh pjesë e saj”, u shpreh Kokaj gjatë fjalës së saj para protestuesve.
Ajo tha se qytetarët kanë një kërkesë të qartë për ndryshim politik, ndërsa shtoi se pakënaqësia ndaj klasës politike është në rritje.
Në protestë u dëgjuan edhe thirrje të tjera kundër qeverisë. Një prej pjesëmarrëseve deklaroi se “koha e tyre ka mbaruar” dhe bëri thirrje që të rinjtë të marrin në dorë të ardhmen e vendit.
"Kam një thirrje për të gjithë anëtarët e PD, që kanë ardhur, i ftoj të vijnë si qytetarë. Nuk është e nevojshme të ketë përçarje. Qëllimi është një klasë e re politike e papërlyer. Se kush do shkojë në burg e vendos drejtësia. Shqiptarët mbështesin SPAK.”, shtoi ajo.
Tubimi para Kryeministrisë ka mbledhur qytetarë nga qytete të ndryshme të Shqipërisë, si dhe shqiptarë të ardhur nga diaspora. Organizatorët e kanë cilësuar protestën si një nga më të mëdhatë e zhvilluara deri më tani kundër qeverisë.
Unlike previous protests, this Saturday there is an increased presence of police forces in the area around the Prime Minister's Office building, where the 21st protest, called by the organizers as a nationwide rally, is expected to take place.
Police officers have been deployed at various points near the government building to guarantee order and the smooth running of the protest, while citizens have begun to gather on the "Martyrs of the Nation" boulevard.
The rally brought together participants from various cities in the country, as well as Albanians from the diaspora. Motorcades of vehicles with national flags were seen on the main streets of the capital, while shoes were also placed symbolically in front of the Prime Minister's Office, as a message about the emigration of Albanians over the years.
The protesters' main demand remains the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the removal of the government. Earlier in the day, the head of government reacted to these calls, describing them as unfounded and unrealistic.
Lini një Përgjigje