Citizens returned once again this Tuesday in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, marking the 17th day of a protest that began as opposition to Jared Kushner’s development project in Zvërnec and Sazan, but has since evolved into a broader movement against the government and the entire political establishment.
Holding banners and chanting anti-government slogans, protesters called for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation, accusing him of selling off public assets and abandoning the interests of Albanian citizens.
“Rama, resign!”, “Your time is up!”, “Rama to prison, Berisha to prison!”, and “Albania in the clouds” were among the slogans that dominated today’s gathering.
Unlike the early days of the demonstrations, when the primary focus was the investment project in Zvërnec and Sazan, the protest is increasingly taking on a political and civic character, expressing public dissatisfaction over corruption, emigration, economic conditions, and the lack of trust in the political class.
One of the most powerful speeches of the protest was delivered by Professor Lush Susaj, who focused on the state of education and the mass departure of young people from the country.
“Today, more than ever, Albania needs responsible citizens. Students are the most vulnerable and most mistreated segment of society over the past 35 years. There is no country in the world that has damaged its schools and universities the way Albania has,” Susaj declared from the protest podium.
The professor said that the country’s deepest crisis is reflected in the younger generation, citing his own personal experience as an example.
“You are hearing from a man who educated his child in Albania and who feels every day the pain of knowing that his child will leave the country. It is time for us to react for the sake of the younger generation and not allow ourselves to be deceived again as we were in 1992,” he said.
The protest in front of the Prime Minister’s Office has continued for more than two weeks, and organizers have warned that the demonstrations will continue until the contested projects are withdrawn and the citizens’ demands are heard.
Meanwhile, both the growing participation and the messages expressed from the podium indicate that the movement is increasingly moving beyond a single environmental cause and is turning into a broader revolt against the way the country is governed and against the political elite as a whole.
