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Tensions at the protest/ Protesters clash with the socialist MP

The first tensions have appeared at the protest. Protester...

"Rama in prison, Berisha in prison, everyone in prison!" and the temptation of Robespierre

2026-06-18 18:06:00, Opinione Ardi Stefa

"Rama in prison, Berisha in prison, everyone in prison!" and the

“Rama in prison, Berisha in prison, everyone in prison!” is one of those calls that sound beautiful on the boulevard in the protests of these days. It has rhythm, nerve, anger, emotion. In a society tired of corruption, impunity and endless transition, it finds immediate echoes.

As a call, it refutes the myth that evil lies only with the opponent and the propaganda that divides society into two camps where each sees their leader as a savior and the other as the sole culprit and the embodiment of evil.

But when you hear thousands of people simultaneously shouting "Rama in prison!", "Berisha in prison!", "Everyone in prison!" you understand that a part of the citizens no longer accepts that no one is above justice, neither the one who has power today, nor the one who had it yesterday. They are not asking for a change of roles between the protagonists. They are not asking for one to replace the other. They are demanding accountability from both and the entire Albanian political class. They are demanding equality before the law and rejecting the cult of the leader.

That's why people applaud it, repeat it, and turn it into a daily call, because in people's logic, as a call, it marks the end of an era.

But this is precisely where the danger lies.

Because imprisonment is not a political act. It is not even a revolutionary act. Imprisonment is the prerogative of courts that act on the basis of law, evidence, and procedure. The moment the crowd starts deciding who should go to prison, we have moved from the rule of law to protestor justice.

I agree that Edi Rama should be investigated for any suspicion that weighs on his governance. I agree that Sali Berisha should answer to the law for any accusations raised against him. Even if they are guilty, they should be put in prison, a Château d'If should be found for them, like in "The Count of Monte Cristo" and the keys to their cells should be thrown into the sea. But this is a completely different thing from the collective call "to prison!" Because tomorrow, with the same logic, anyone who is not liked by the next protesters can be asked to go to prison.

Unfortunately, revolutions that begin with a demand for justice often end up producing guillotines. In the name of the people, in the name of morality, and in the name of the future. Robespierre believed he was saving France. He ended up sowing terror.

Albania does not need new Robespierres. It does not need boulevard prosecutors nor megaphone judges. It needs functioning institutions and citizens who seek justice, not revenge. Otherwise, we will bring back the popular trials of the early years of Enver Hoxha.

The difference between a functioning democracy and angry protesters, even if rightfully so, is measured precisely by whether the prison is imposed by law or by the cries of people on the boulevard./ CNA