The protester who spent the night in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana, Erlis Sina, has publicly responded to Prime Minister Edi Rama following a social media post in which Rama mentioned him.
In a lengthy statement published online, Sina leveled strong accusations against the head of government, describing him as responsible for both his personal hardships and the broader situation in the country. He emphasized that he is not participating in protests because he has been misled, but because of the reality that, according to him, citizens experience every day.
Sina, who has reportedly participated in previous Democratic Party protests where pyrotechnic devices were used and was subsequently arrested by police, continued his criticism of the government in harsh terms.
FULL STATEMENT
“A Necessary Response to Edi Rama!
I AM NOT YOU!
Do not tell me that when you look at my photograph, you see yourself.
I am not you.
I am not the one who has held power in his hands for years.
I am not the one who signs decisions that change people’s lives.
I am not the one who controls the institutions, the budgets, and the fate of this country.
You are.
So do not dare tell me that my troubles are the same as yours.
You are not the victim of my problems.
You are their author.
You are the author of the emigration of thousands of young people who no longer saw a future in Albania.
You are the author of the injustices that force people to leave their homeland.
You are the author of the arrogance of a government that no longer listens to anyone except itself.
When you say that you fear those who may harm Albania, you forget one thing:
There is no abyss deeper than the theft of votes.
There is no abyss deeper than the seizure of property.
There is no abyss deeper than the destruction of dignity.
There is no abyss deeper than the theft of an entire generation’s future.
Thousands of people do not fill the squares because they are manipulated by algorithms.
They do not protest because influencers tell them to.
They are not angry because the opposition instructs them to be.
They take to the streets because they live the reality every day.
Because they pay the bills.
Because they are looking for work.
Because they wait in hospitals.
Because they watch their children leave the country.
Because they feel like strangers in their own homeland.
And when you try to portray them as a manipulated crowd, you do not understand them.
You are insulting them.
My photograph on your wall tarnishes me.
Do not use it to wash away your responsibilities.
Do not use it to hide your failures.
Do not use it to build your image as a savior.
I am not you.
And if I am in the square, I am not there because someone deceived me.
I am there because I know very well who brought me to this point.”**