The toppling of Enver Hoxha's bust is commemorated / Bardeli: We live in the same dictatorial regime

2025-12-13 12:42:00, Aktualitet CNA

The toppling of Enver Hoxha's bust is commemorated / Bardeli: We live in

35 years ago, Shkodra became the first city to topple the bust of dictator Enver Hoxha. Today, 35 years later, the "13 Dhjetori" association commemorated this historic event by placing wreaths of flowers next to the bust in the city center.

"Like every year, we commemorate the great movement that the citizens of Shkodra made by rising up against the regime of the time. Many of them are no longer alive. The youth that day, 35 years ago, went in front of the bust and with determination managed to remove it from Shkodra. Even though there are attempts today, we hope that the symbols of that time will not return. We are again in a dictatorship, everything captured by the party state as at that time," said Ervin Gjini, president of the "December 13, 1990" Association.

DP MP Greta Bardeli said that the Albanian people should follow the example of the organizers of December 13 to defeat, according to her, the current misgovernance.

"In the name of the DP, we are here today to pay the deserved respect on this 35th anniversary. It is a testament to the strength of Shkodra, they came to the square and proved that they are anti-communists. Today we are in the same situation because the facts speak for themselves and the competent bodies as well. They are again protecting each other. Therefore, we call for us to come together to expel this government," says Greta Bardeli, a DP MP.

The toppling of Enver Hoxha's bust is commemorated / Bardeli: We live in

The head of the association, Gjini, when asked about the relocation of the bust a few meters further away, which is not where it was before, said that it is not related to the Shkodra Municipality celebration scene.

The toppling of Enver Hoxha's bust is commemorated / Bardeli: We live in

"There was no debate, but a misunderstanding. Some of the deputies and the president are absent because they had other agendas. We have been asking for the bust to be moved for years," said Ervin Gjini, president of the "December 13, 1990" association.

A group of young people from Shkodra on December 13, 1990, came out to the city center and overcame the fear of the communist regime by toppling the bust of Enver Hoxha, becoming the first city in the country to topple the dictator's bust and paving the way for other democratic movements in the country./ CNA