If you can describe what is happening in the streets today in Tirana and around Albania, the dramatic scenes that are unfolding in the streets, and also how it all began, this development on Sazan Island, backed by President Trump's son-in-law and his daughter, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Thank you, Amy, for having me again, uh, in Democracy Now! It's a, it's a very-- It's an, an honor for me and also for everyone who has been protesting for months to be in this program again and to represent and to speak up about what's happening in Albania.

The last week is, has been quite, uh, dramatic, um, due to the fact that the s- the violence and the bru- uh, the brutalism that the police have been showing to the protesters is, has never been seen in the country before, not even, uh, in nineteen ninety-one when the, uh, Communist Party of Albania was still in power, and it was a one-state party, and it was a dictatorial regime.

So what we have been seeing so far is something unseen in the streets of, of Albania.

Um, this is, uh, is, this is not a separate protest.

It's not just a student protest.

This is part of the ongoing more than one hundred forty-three days of the Flamingo Revolution on the streets, but it has a huge turn because after more than one hundred and thirty-five days of peaceful protests, although there were many arrests and, uh, brutality shown by the police in specific protests close to the parliament, uh, as they happen each week, uh, all the other days have been quite peaceful, uh, protests.

And Bora, can you explain who the prime minister is, Edi Rama? He's from the center-left Socialist Party, um, but the kind of repression that we're seeing on the streets and the bravery of the protesters, wh-where does this discontent come from?

If you can describe what is happening in the streets today in Tirana and around Albania, the dramatic scenes that are unfolding in the streets, and also how it all began, this development on Sazan Island, backed by President Trump's son-in-law and his daughter, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Thank you, Amy, for having me again, uh, in Democracy Now.

It's, uh, it's a very...

It's an, an honor for me and also for everyone who has been protesting for months to be in this program again and to represent and to speak up about what's happening in Albania.

The last week is, has been quite, uh, dramatic, um, due to the fact that this, the violence and the bru- uh, the brutalism that the police have been showing to the protesters is, has never been seen in the country before.

Not even, uh, in nineteen ninety-one when the, uh, Communist Party of Albania was still in power, and it was a one-state party, and it was a dictatorial regime.

So what we have been seeing so far is something unseen in the streets of, of Albania.

Um, but the kind of repression that we're seeing on the streets and the bravery of the protesters, wh- where does this discontent come from?

If you can describe what is happening in the streets today in Tirana and around Albania, the dramatic scenes that are unfolding in the streets, and also how it all began, this development on Sazan Island, backed by President Trump's son-in-law and his daughter, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

Thank you, Amy, for having me again, uh, in Democracy Now! It's a, it's a very, it's an, an honor for me and also for everyone who has been protesting for months to be in this program again and to represent and to speak up about what's happening in Albania.

The last week is, has been quite, uh, dramatic, uh, due to the fact that this, the violence and the bru- uh, the brutalism that the police have been showing to the protesters is, has never been seen in the country before, not even, uh, in 1991 when the, uh, Communist Party of Albania was still in power, and it was a one-state party, and it was a dictatorial regime.

So what we have been seeing so far is something unseen in the streets of, of Albania.

Um, this is, uh, is, this is not a separate protest.

It's not just a student protest.

This is part of the ongoing more than 143 days of the Flamingo Revolution on the streets.

Um, but the kind of repression that we're seeing on the streets and the bravery of the protesters, wh- where does this discontent come from?

Um, if you can talk about the violence that the protesters have been left with, and the fact that the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, says that this, um, project, uh, the Trump-Kushner project is going to happen.

Uh, hello.

Uh, so as, uh, it was mentioned before, this is a project that, uh, is being influenced not just by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, but also it's a money laundry operation, international money laundry inter- uh, operation.

And of course that the Prime Minister Edi Rama will say this, not just because he wants to still be in power and to hold his position, but also due to the fact that m- many foreign and not only, uh, uh, interests are engaged in this, uh, are engaged and involved in this process.

When it comes to the violence of the process, the protest, it was not only in the first day when the community, uh, protesters and different activists were protesting in the fences that were enclosed in the area of Vlorë, which is a protected area, but also a part of it belongs to the community.

Where one of the, when one of the community members was dragged down by private security and a gun was held in his hand, and the police was not intervening, which shows, uh, uh, where the sta- the state's police, uh, loyalty lies, and it's not with the Albanian people, and it's not with the law, but it's with the ones who actually are dispossessing us from our private, our public lands, and our environment, and the islands or natural protected areas.

Uh, there was also a protest, uh, held just last week at the Parliament of Albania where some protesters, uh, were throwing eggs at the MP's cars because, uh, the MPs of the both main political parties, such as the Socialist Party or the Democratic Party, they are both pro- uh, supporting Trump's, uh, and Kushner's project in, in Albania.

I want to thank you both for being with us.

Um, if you can talk about the violence that the protesters have been left with and the fact that the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, says that this, um, project, uh, the Trump-Kushner project, is going to happen.

Uh, hello.

Uh, so as, uh, it was mentioned before, this is a project that, uh, is being influenced not just by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, but also it's a money laundry operation, international money laundry inter- uh, operation.

And of course, uh, the Prime Minister Edi Rama will say this, not just because he wants to still be in power and to hold his position, but also due to the fact that m- many foreign and not only, uh, uh, interests are engaged in this, uh, are engaged and involved in this process.

When it comes to the violence of the process, the protest, it was not only in the first day when the community, uh, protesters and different activists were protesting in the fences that were enclosed in the area of Zvërnec, which is a protected area, but also a part of it belongs to the community, where one of the...

when one of the community members was dragged down by private security and a gun was held in his hand, and the police was not intervening, which shows, uh, uh, where the sta- the state police, uh, loyalty lies, and it's not with the Albanian people, and it's not with the law, but it's with the ones who actually are dispossessing us from our private, our public lands, and our environment and, uh, islands or natural protected areas.

Uh, there was also a protest, uh, held just last week at the Parliament of Albania where some protesters, uh, were throwing eggs at the MPs' cars because, uh, the MPs of the both main political parties, such as the Socialist Party or the Democratic Party, they are both pro, uh, supporting Trump's, uh, and Kushner's project in, in Albania.

I wanna thank you both for being with us.