What unites the protesters in Tirana?

Public buildings damaged by fire, broken windows and looted shops, streets littered with stones and burning garbage containers. These are the scenes in Tirana, as student protests have entered their fourth day and have spread to other cities in Albania.

Clashes between police and groups of mostly masked protesters have left dozens injured, most of them police officers, according to authorities. Police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The students say they are protesting against the high costs of education and government corruption, while their main demand is the resignation of the government led by Edi Rama. They have also been joined by high school students. Classes have been boycotted at universities in Tirana and several other cities, as well as at some high schools in the capital.

Beyond students, resentments that unite generations

After four days of protests and clashes with police, students continue to take to the streets of Tirana. According to authorities, 160 protesters were arrested on the evening of October 15 alone. But the students say they will continue to protest.

"We have no other way, we have no other choice left. What should a student do who cannot afford the costs of education and living even though he works? What should he do when he is not heard, when he is trampled on. Diplomas have no value because there is no meritocracy, jobs are for the children of politicians, administrators, oligarchs," Blerta, a student at the Faculty of Economics in Tirana, tells Radio Free Europe.

On the streets of Tirana, alongside students, there are also professors. Lush Susaj, a professor at the Agricultural University of Tirana, says he is protesting for his students and for all those who have been forced to leave the country.

"One of my students graduated with excellent results from her master's degree. Do you know what she does? She bakes pies in a business in a neighborhood of Tirana. This is painful for me," Susaj tells REL.

He attributes the situation to the politicization of schools and universities, as well as the lack of meritocracy in employment.

"You can't get a job in schools and universities without the support of the ruling party. The party decides everything. Let the student graduate with excellent results, the party patron will get the job, without the proper skills and without any connection to education. The situation we see today is a consequence of misgovernment, corruption and nepotism. It's not the students' fault. They are within their rights. The day would come when they would explode," says Susaj.

Krahas studentëve dhe profesorëve, në protestë janë edhe pensionistë. Mes tyre është Syrja Xhani, ish-punonjës i trupës së Cirkut Kombëtar dhe një nga organizatorët e protestave kundër shembjes së Teatrit Kombëtar në vitin 2020. Ai thotë se prej 140 ditësh proteston kundër Qeverisë Rama.

Pakënaqësitë me Qeverinë Rama kanë nxjerrë qytetarë në rrugë prej muajsh. Protestat fillimisht u nxitën nga një projekt i diskutueshëm turistik në Zvërnec të Vlorës, i lidhur me Jared Kushner. Sipas protestuesve, ky projekt, ashtu si edhe të tjerë, tregon se politika po vendos interesat e saj mbi ato të qytetarëve dhe po shpërfill interesin publik.

“Pushtetarët fitojnë pasuri përrallore, ndërsa qytetarët bëjnë llogaritë për të mbijetuar. Kam punuar gjithë ato vite dhe çfarë pensioni marr? Duhet të zgjedh nëse do të blej ilaçe apo do të ushqehem”, thotë ai për REL.

Xhani e cilëson protestën të vonuar. Një tjetër pensionist pranë Xhanit, i cili nuk deshi të identifikohej, mendon se brezi i tij mban një pjesë të përgjegjësisë për situatën dhe se duhet të jetë çdo ditë në krah të studentëve.

“Është gabimi ynë që nuk ditëm ta përmbysnim komunizmin, ta shkulnim me rrënjë. Le t’i vuajmë pasojat, por duhet të jemi në shesh për fëmijët tanë. Kthim pas nuk ka”, thotë ai për REL.

Protestuesit fajësojnë qeverinë për përshkallëzimin

Studentët dhe qytetarët e tjerë që marrin pjesë në protestë thonë se përshkallëzimi ishte e vetmja rrugë që u kishte mbetur për t’u dëgjuar.

Aurel Kujtimi, aktivist i kauzave studentore, thotë se situata u përshkallëzua për shkak të arrogancës së qeverisë.

“Qytetarët nuk u dëgjuan, përkundrazi, u tallën dhe u përçmuan. Përshkallëzimin e solli qeveria, ndërsa dhuna që policia e shtetit po ushtron ndaj të rinjve i revolton ata edhe më shumë”, thotë Kujtimi për REL.

Ai shpreh keqardhje për bizneset e vogla të dëmtuara gjatë protestës, por jo për bizneset e mëdha që, sipas tij, janë të lidhura me pushtetin dhe kanë përfituar nga taksat e qytetarëve. Të premten, në rrjetet sociale qarkulluan fotografi të bizneseve që kishin vendosur në hyrje letra të bardha me mbishkrimin: “Mbështesim studentët, mos na dëmtoni”.

Ndërkaq, në një video të publikuar të premten në Facebook, kryeministri Rama tha se protestat nuk lidhen me shqetësimet dhe aspiratat legjitime të qytetarëve për një jetë më të mirë. Ai akuzoi “duar të huaja”, pa i identifikuar ato, se po nxisin trazirat për të penguar përparimin e Shqipërisë drejt anëtarësimit në Bashkimin Evropian. Një ditë më parë, ai i tha agjencisë Reuters se nuk do të japë dorëheqje.

Edhe profesori Lush Susaj e sheh përshkallëzimin si pasojë të mënyrës se si është menaxhuar protesta dhe akuzon policinë për dhunë ndaj protestuesve.

"The first day the protest escalated, I was in front of the Ministry of Education. After the tear gas, we went into one of the alleys with my students to help them. The police came to shoot them, even though they were lying on the ground. When they saw me, they recognized me and left. The police have demonstrated unprofessional behavior these days. Young people are overwhelmed with anger towards this government and, when they are also being violated by the police, how can they react differently?" he says.

The EU Delegation to Albania condemned the escalation of violence and the destruction of public and private property, calling on protesters to show restraint. It demanded that the police use force proportionately and that allegations of excessive use of force against protesters and journalists be investigated as a matter of priority.

The police have warned that any excess of authority will bring responsibility, while the Ombudsman has launched an investigation into whether the use of force against the protesters was proportional.

The clashes have also raised concerns about the safety of children in schools near the protest areas. Elona Gjylmi, a journalist with over 20 years of experience and the mother of a child who studies at the Ministry of Education, says she supports the protests and understands the anger of the young people, but is concerned about the exposure of students to tear gas.

"As a parent, with a child in a school about 100 meters from the Ministry of Education, I am extremely concerned. Today there were only six children in class and the parents picked them up before the end of the teaching process. The Ministry of Education, in my opinion, should suspend teaching in schools near the institutions that are being attacked during the protest. Children are being exposed to large amounts of gas and chemicals," she tells REL.

According to the protesters, the solution to the political crisis lies in the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the formation of a caretaker government and the holding of early elections. They also demand the opening of political dialogue./ REL/