Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Ervin Demo issued a joint statement to the media on Saturday regarding the protests in the capital.
Rama said that insisting on protesting without accepting dialogue is meaningless, and noted that while the freedom of assembly is a constitutional right, violence constitutes a crime.
The head of government rejected claims that he had been indifferent to the demands of protesters over the past four months.
“When we say that we are ready to engage in dialogue, then insisting on protest is meaningless. The freedom to protest is a right, while violence is a crime.
That is why we are here to address what we see as important. We are taking measures against violators, against anarchy, and for maintaining order.
On the side of security, on the side of guaranteeing rights, in cooperation with our partners, with the steps we have taken, we will very soon come out with concrete proposals and measures.
Whoever says that until today I have been indifferent to those who have shouted below my window, in fact, for four months I have listened more than anyone else, more than they have listened to one another, where they have cursed and threatened without saying anything concrete, and continuously refusing to sit down and talk.
I have communicated with them too. I have invited them, but they have been characterized by fear of one another, lest they be labeled traitors, that they are a group of antifascists ideologized by the professor who ideologizes violence, and who have the ability and capacity to put others in psychological terror”, Rama said.