Arbër Lleshi, activist and co-author of the diaspora protests, in an interview with News 24 spoke about the protests that continue in Tirana, but also in the diaspora.
Lleshi said that several groups from the diaspora will “land” in Tirana and hold powerful protests. He declared that in September “the prime minister and the country’s institutions will be shaken.”
"We are doing everything we can to bring about a spirit of unity, to protest in different ways, to have people express their political dissatisfaction, to be willing to cooperate with each other, regardless of whether we are left or right, to be together against what is oppressing us all. The situation requires work and understanding."
"In two weeks, several groups of activists from the diaspora have planned to come to Tirana. They have decided to protest strongly, to exert a stronger form of pressure on the institutions. The powerful wave of protests in September will shake the Prime Minister's Office, the Parliament, the Presidency," said activist Lleshi.
He further stated that the squares of the world are filled with flamingos and eagles and that the spirit of revolt is felt everywhere in Europe, and not only.
"Now that August is ending, citizens have taken to the streets around the world to protest. The streets around the world are filled with flamingos. The enthusiasm of Albanians in the diaspora is the same as in Tirana. We are thinking about how to take the protest further. We are trying to turn the indignation into more institutional forms. This is a long process, these Albanians are realizing that they cannot let the government do whatever it wants. We stand at the head of the government's activities and when something goes wrong, we react and are not afraid, like in the past. We will take concrete actions," said Lleshi.
Activist Arbër Lleshi also emphasized that Albanians have fled their homeland due to the extremely difficult economic situation.
"Albanians have fled their country because they are dissatisfied with life in Albania, which has become extremely difficult. The economic impossibility of living near their families has pushed young people to seek a dignified life elsewhere. Albanians want a homeland, so that at least their children can live. The country where I am from, people live there practically like in the Middle Ages and no one lives in those places anymore, there are old people crying from embarrassment. It is an unwritten drama," he said.
According to him, the mindset of the reaction that brought about the protest will continue.
"The mindset of reaction that the protest brought will continue . I was moved by the protest from the beginning, when I saw it on the screen of News 24. It seems strange how Albanians managed to react, because we have been ignored by politics. I immediately stopped working and came to Tirana. I thought for a week that I would stay, then I stayed for a long time and they fired me. In September or October I will start another job, I have made a small sacrifice. There is repression against activists, because the government cannot stand for citizens to rise up. Arrests have also been made, with police violence against us," concluded the activist.
