Prime Minister Edi Rama has reacted through a Facebook post to the online calls in recent days to boycott singer Ylli Limani and the criticism directed at him over his concert.
Rama described the online attacks as a form of digital violence and said they represent a disturbing phenomenon that, according to him, has been accompanying the boulevard protests.
He stated that every day there is increasing verbal abuse, pressure, and threats against anyone who does not align themselves with the protesters. Rama also referred to protesters shouting at citizens in public spaces, telling them to “get up from their coffee tables.”
According to Rama, this behavior has nothing to do with peaceful protest, which he described as “the peace of flamingos.” He emphasized that protest is a democratic right that should always be respected and added that the ruling Socialist Party has consistently respected demonstrations, describing it as the most democratic government of this period.
“I do not know Ylli Limani. I do not listen to his music. But the online violence directed at him, the aggressive calls to boycott his concert, and the threats that followed his successful performance last night are, in my view, the most disgusting expression of a phenomenon accompanying the boulevard protest. It is a degradation of public life on social media, now elevated to a new level of group violence that must not be justified, relativized, or accepted through silence. It must be confronted with the power of words,” Rama said.
