A protest that began as a peaceful resistance of flamingos took a different direction in October, turning into revolt and leading to physical clashes between students and police. For Iris Kola, this shift is a direct consequence of the continued disregard of protesters’ demands by politicians. Kola describes the Ministry of Education as the institution that should bear the first responsibility, linking this to the situation created in universities and the clashes with students. “The government cabinet should resign. The Ministry of Education should have been the first to resign, since it has empty auditoriums and students covered in blood”, she said.
Despite the lack of a single leader to represent them, the students appear to have built a form of organization based on coordination and the division of roles. According to Kola, each person has a specific task, from medical assistance to standing on the front line of the protest.
“Students protest with their voice and strength. We are organized: some handle medical aid, others are on the front line of the revolt, others secure the stones. It is organized and has emerged completely organically”, Kola said.
Beyond the protest of the moment, she also sees the student movement in Serbia as a model. According to her, the experience of Serbian students should serve as an incentive for young Albanians to build an independent political movement, without the influence of parties or other organizations. “The students won, and this is a movement that should also start in Albania, for students and by students, without the involvement of politics, NGOs or CSOs”, she stressed to ”TCH”.