TIRANA, June 15 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama responded remotely to a protester today, stating that “no one seeks to silence public debate, but online violence and the bullying of people in the streets amount to stifling the debate.”
Rama replied to a comment by Nertil Shuli, whom he praised for his civility, describing him as an atypical protester who thinks differently from him but does not insult, accuse, or engage in online outbursts.
With regard to investments in Sazan and Zvërnec, he said the government “does not claim it has followed procedures”, adding that it holds all relevant facts and that transparency amounts to “setting out the facts as they are.”
“No one is calling for the public debate to be shut down. But online violence, the bullying of people in the streets, and blocking the airport road are not debate; they amount to stifling of debate, the poisoning of the public space, and a violation of freedom of movement,” Rama added.
The prime minister said that protesting is legitimate and that no one disputes that right.
“But amplifying defamations, lies, and fabrications—such as those that drew the attention of the entire world, which found in Albania a stage for its own political, ideological, or even religious disputes—is undoubtedly an attack on the country,” he added.
Rama also stressed that blocking even the airport road constitutes is detrimental to the tourism season and the economy.
“No one has put all protesters in the same category, but this protest contains a mosaic of everything, and even the ‘manipulated crowd’ was described as such by disappointed protesters themselves, who spoke last night after being caught up in the commotion,” Rama said in response to the protester, who argued that labelling thousands of demonstrators as a “manipulated crowd,” “fools,” or tools of “destructive forces” is not a political argument but a form of contempt for citizens who think differently.
Rama also noted that in his comment, Shuli had described as concerning the prime minister’s view that the only beneficiaries of the protest are the government and the ruling party.
“I regret the concern, but that is the truth. In the end, there will be two real beneficiaries, and I know why: precisely because this government knows how to listen and draw lessons, while the Socialist Party carries truths that ordinary people in this country know very well,” Rama said.
“Your case is a very rare exception in the digital tide of excess,” Rama said, addressing the commenter.
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