Berisha calls national PD protest for Saturday: ‘Don't touch the students!’

Democratic Party (PD) leader Sali Berisha on Friday invited Albanians to join the national protest the Democrats have called for Saturday, Oct. 24, in support of the students who have been protesting in Tirana for 11 days. He urged citizens to head to Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard.

Berisha said the PD will be present at every protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama's government and will back the student protests through its Youth Forum members, officials and lawmakers. He said Youth Forum members from universities and colleges have taken part in the protest since day one.

A warning to Rama

The opposition leader called on Rama to stop the violence against students, adding that it will not be tolerated by any Albanian citizen. His closing message was “Don't touch the students!”

At another press conference later in the day, Berisha warned that the government's stance toward the students could escalate the situation toward civil conflict. He also cited the toppling of Enver Hoxha's statue in 1991, in which he said a 13- or 14-year-old took part, to defend minors' right to protest.

Prime minister: the PD claimed authorship

For his part, Prime Minister Rama said on Friday that the PD had claimed authorship a day earlier of the violence at the Ministry of Education, calling the opposition party “the cherry on the cake” of the escalation. Organizers of the student protest said in the evening that Saturday's rally is expected to be national, with support from the diaspora as well.