"They have violated us, we do not forgive the tears of youth"/ Protest in Korça against the government

2026-06-06 19:54:00, Aktualitet CNA

"They have violated us, we do not forgive the tears of youth"/ Protest

The civic protest against the government continued this Saturday in Korça. Due to the opening of the tourist season, which also coincides with the Korça Carnival, the protest organizers held the rally at the end of the city's pedestrian zone.

The area where the protesters gathered was surrounded by security tape, while police were also present on the ground to ensure the smooth running of the situation, both during the protest and during the festive activities organized in the city. Although in a limited space, the protesters were organized and raised their calls against the government in unison. During the rally, several citizens took the floor to share their personal stories and the reasons why they had chosen to join the protest.

"They have violated us, we do not forgive the tears of youth"/ Protest

Bledar Tyxhari focused on the phenomenon of emigration and the consequences it is bringing to Albanian families. He told the story of his family, saying that the departure of young people is not measured only by statistics, but by the daily pain of parents and children who are forced to be separated from each other.

"I'm not very good at speeches, but I want to tell you that for so many years, they wanted to convince us that there are only scoundrels and thieves here. The best part of society has left. It's not true. There are still fighters here, and I see them all in the square today. And keep fighting until we find the end. Now, we all have problems and you know them. I just wanted to tell my case. My son studies abroad, we come from time to time and we accompany him. Every time we accompany him to the airport, my sister starts crying, and the whole way home we feel sorry for that child's tears. I can forgive the government for many things. It has violated us, it has done many things to us, I can forgive it for many things. But I cannot forgive my child's tears. And I will continue to fight as I have fought, I will always fight my united fight," he said.

Another citizen said that the protests should not stop despite any form of pressure or intimidation. According to him, the citizen reaction is echoing not only within the country, but also outside Albania, while he called on the participants to continue to raise their voices about the problems that concern them.

"Today I had decided not to speak. But yesterday when the protest ended, some of my friends told me: 'You made a mistake by speaking that you will start paying taxes and who knows what.' They will use 100 ways to sabotage this, but we must not stop, the moment has come today or never! Before I came here, I watched on TV, New York, Washington, Boston, Europe, Frankfurt, Berlin, Vienna, Milan, Turin, the whole world found out what is happening here! Now, that tall rascal once said something stupid: 'You haven't seen anything yet.' Today we will say: We haven't seen anything yet! Now I want to make some appeals to the patronageists, that there may be some head here too, that counts us, that sees us from the face who we are. Give up, because one day you will be ashamed of yourself!", - said another protester.

Part of the protest was also an activist, who assessed the number of participants in Korça, comparing it to protests organized years ago, when according to her, the citizen reaction was much lower.

"They have violated us, we do not forgive the tears of youth"/ Protest

She also focused on the phenomenon of emigration and the difficulties faced by young people and entrepreneurs who choose to live and work in Albania.

"The first is a very big thank you, because I was very surprised by the amount of people I found in Korça. For the simple reason that ten years ago, when there was a protest against weapons, the import of chemical substances, I found myself there alone on the steps. I found myself alone on the steps of the cathedral and only five guys came to join me. I had a banner that said: 'Albania imports garbage and exports people.' We have all seen it happen for many years now. And this time, ten years later, I found so many people, in Tirana thousands and here hundreds. For me it is impressive! I myself have European citizenship, I have a degree from one of the best universities in the world and I have chosen to live in Albania. But in the meantime, when I come to Korça, wanting to have a good time, I can't even find two or three friends to go out for coffee. So I know very well the pain of being here alone, and facing different problems as employees, as people starting their own businesses, all of which I have also experienced myself and I feel very lonely. So that is precisely why I said, for me the number of people alone is amazing", - emphasized one of the protesters.

At the end of the protest, the participants called on citizens to join them in larger numbers tomorrow. They emphasized that the cordoning off of the protest area with security tape will not affect the continuation of their response, while warning that the rallies will continue in the coming days./CNA