The 16th day of the protest, known as the “Flamingo Revolution”, has started in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, with anti-government and anti-establishment calls, which also include the parliamentary opposition.
With many banners and with the first row filled, as usual, with women and children, the protesters have opened the third week of mass mobilization in Tirana.
A strong message was also for internationals, where a large banner read ‘Europe can you hear us?’.
The cries of “Resignation”, “Edi Rama, traitor, resign as soon as possible”, “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison” as well as “Rama resigns” are heard in the square.
Unlike on Sunday evening, when the march ended with the blocking of the Tirana-Durres highway and the axis towards Rinas International Airport, this time it has been announced on social media that the movement will take place only within the Ring of Tirana.
In a notice published before the start of the protest, the organizers defined five rules for the march. According to them, the protest will not be divided into groups, will not take spontaneous directions and will always leave a free lane for emergency vehicles.
The route of the march has also been published, which starts from the Prime Minister’s Office and continues in the area of 9 Katësheve, Zogu i Zi, Vasil Shanto, Wilson Square and ends in Skënderbej Square.
The restriction of the march inside the Ring is seen as a clear change from the protest of the day before, when the protesters headed outside the capital and blocked for several hours the main axis that connects Tirana with Durrës and Rinas airport.
Yesterday’s march lasted about five hours and brought traffic to a standstill in one of the main arteries of the country. The protesters were stopped by the State Police before advancing towards Rinas, while the officers created a cordon on the road and asked the citizens to leave the axis.
After a confrontation with the police, the protesters retreated, ending the march.
The blockade of the road to the airport caused intense public and political debate.
Some of the organizers stated that they have not been expelled, despite the fact that there have been several attempts.
According to them, blocking the Rinas Airport is not their goal, since “Albanians come and go from there”.
The protest in Tirana has also been accompanied by support rallies in other cities and abroad, including several European capitals, as well as the United States and Canada.
