Renowned diaspora activist, Aleksandër Runaj, invited to the lunch program at News24, has spoken about the extraordinary mobilization of Albanians living abroad in mass protests against Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.

Runaj, originally from Vlora and living in Germany for 14 years, confessed that the origins of his engagement began with denunciations of the situation in Albania.

"Since May 16, I have denounced what was happening in Zvërnec. This was my first move. Then the situation worsened and I decided to appeal to the entire diaspora on social networks, where I found a very active reaction. We requested a protest in Brussels, which was very large. I was at the protest in Dortmund, I will be in Cologne, and this Saturday I will land in Tirana," the activist said.

For Runaj, Zvërnec was just "the last straw," as the reasons why the diaspora is rising like never before are much deeper and related to the pain of leaving and separating families.

"Those who have fled, have fled from impossibility. They long for their relatives and family. We are 4 family members scattered in 3 different countries around the world. This is a very strong reason to protest and raise our voices," he said.

The activist also focused on the corruption scandals that have involved the executive branch, specifically mentioning the attacks by the new judiciary. "There are many points to protest. I myself have raised my concerns. I cannot trust a government where the former Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, is a defendant and SPAK is seeking to arrest her," Runaj declared.

According to him, the spirit of protest has included every Albanian abroad and the message coming from the diaspora is clear: total support for the civic movement in the country until the situation changes.