TIRANA, Oct 20 /ATA/ Joining the ongoing wave of student demonstrations, university lecturers took to the streets of Tirana today in a peaceful show of solidarity as protests entered their seventh day.
Gathering outside the Polytechnic University of Tirana alongside student demonstrators, faculty members launched a petition urging authorities to address the students’ grievances. The academic union previously issued a statement voicing deep concern over the escalating tensions and strongly condemning alleged police brutality during the week-long demonstrations.
Addressing the crowd of students and faculty members, Aleksandër Kovaçi, head of the Higher Education Union, sharply criticized the administration’s silence.
“Despite the formal requests our union has submitted since March, the government has not even deigned to issue an official reply,” Kovaçi stated. “This is an administration that refuses to listen. When a government ignores peaceful demonstrators and turns a blind eye to student movements like the one on May 31, it must expect angry, outrage-fueled protests.”
“Unfortunately, instead of responding to peaceful protesters, the government and the prime minister have today responded with violence through law enforcement agencies. We have even witnessed conduct that puts citizens’ lives at risk.
We have decided to hold a symbolic march against police violence and express our solidarity with the students. As emphasized throughout this four-month movement—which has gone ignored by the other side—we have now reached a point where a resolution is imperative. This resolution must come from political leaders. If politics is not capable of delivering, it must clear the way for the five demands we submitted and for a political solution,” Kovaçi stressed.
Kovaçi stated: “Within our union leadership, we have discussed our next steps. First, we fully support the students. Second, we have decided to gather every day at 10:00 AM to show our solidarity with them. This will continue for as long as necessary. Every day at 10:00 AM, we will stand in front of the Polytechnic University of Tirana.”
“We call on parents to support the protest of their children, of Albanian students and pupils. I learned that the prime minister has set up chairs outside the Prime Ministry building and claims he is waiting for us to engage in dialogue. Prime Minister, faculty members have no dialogue with you. It is the students who have a dialogue with you. Resolve the issues with the students. We stand with the students; there is no separate negotiation with the professors,” he said.
The youth protest enters its eighth day today. Over the past few days, clashes have left individuals injured on both sides—among protesters as well as police officers. Minors, journalists, and bystanders have also been injured.
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