Moderator and author Arbana Osmani has responded through a public message regarding the protests in Albania, condemning the violence and calling on Prime Minister Edi Rama to listen to citizens. After several days of silence, Osmani has shared her reflection on the situation in the country, stressing that recent developments should not be treated as a spectacle for comments on social media, but must be understood before a reaction is given.
As the mother of three children, she says it pains her to see young people without hope, some of them the age of her son, confronting violence during the protests. She also expresses regret over the damage and burning of Tirana, recalling that the capital has faced such situations several times over the past 30 years.
Osmani stresses that she has never believed, and does not believe, that violence is a solution, opposing it both from the police and from protesters who damage institutions and businesses. In her response, she also criticizes people who, in her view, justify violence through populist posts on social media.
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I chose to stay silent these days, to better understand what is happening; because I think what is happening in Albania today is not a reality show to be commented on with fandom from the living room couch, nor an opportunity to show off populism with statuses for more likes on Instagram.
It must be understood, in order to react. As the mother of 3 children, it pains me to see young people without hope, some of them the age of my son, being beaten and injured, taking violence as the only answer to their legitimate demands, just as it pains me to see Tirana burning for the umpteenth time in these 30 years.
I have never believed, and I will never believe, that violence is the solution. I think this whether it’s the police who try to disperse crowds with rubber batons, or those who destroy institutions and businesses that belong to everyone, or even many Instagram friends who justify violence with their populist statuses.
For the citizens of this country where I have decided to raise my children, today more than ever I feel the need to say out loud to the prime minister: “Enough; respect your people, listen to them.”
No one deserves this.