TIRANA, June 21 /ATA/ – Citizens and activists gathered once again in Tirana’s Skanderbeg Square on Sunday for the 22nd consecutive day of protests against a planned tourism development project in the coastal area of Zvërnec, southern Albania.
Addressing an incident the previous evening in which a group of masked protesters removed and desecrated an Israeli flag, activist Arben Kola said those responsible were infiltrators and stressed that the protest movement rejected such actions.
“There are groups that have infiltrated among us, whether yesterday or on previous days. In the coming days, we may even identify them publicly. We distance ourselves from this act and will issue a statement,” Kola said.
After gathering in Skanderbeg Square, protesters marched to the Prime Minister’s office. Following the singing of the national anthem, demonstrators and activists addressed the crowd.
Carrying banners and flags, protesters reiterated their call for the Zvërnec tourism project to be halted.
The demonstrators outlined five main demands: the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama; the repeal of the legal framework governing strategic investors; the abolition of the so-called Mountains Package; the reversal of amendments to the Law on Protected Areas; and the repeal of changes to the Law on Cultural Heritage.
One participant who said he had travelled from the Albanian diaspora told the gathering that “we have come for unity, not division.”
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