Albanians flooded Tirana over the weekend in the largest demonstration yet — and called for the prime minister’s resignation.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama railed against the “Flamingo Revolution” on Sunday, criticizing the crowds’ actions and referring to a faction of the protesters as “hajvan” — an Albanian term roughly meaning “stupid.”
In his weekly podcast, Rama said he finds it unacceptable that a segment of protestors have called for boycotting pop singers’ concerts for refusing to speak out about the ongoing demonstrations, as well as for engaging in “online violence” and threats against others who have refused to take a public stance.
The remarks come as the political unrest entered its 14th consecutive day as Albanians flooded Tirana over the weekend in the largest demonstration yet, calling for the prime minister’s resignation.
Saturday’s protest saw an estimated 100,000-200,000 people take to the streets. They have remained peaceful, attended by children, the elderly and families, and even including an area for children to draw and paint.
Now in its second straight week, the protest has transformed from demands for the cancellation of a Jared Kushner-linked luxury resort into one of the largest anti-government demonstrations that Albania has seen since the fall of communism in 1991.
Rama also condemned a chant used at the protest, which states that Albania belongs to Albanians. He said this comes across as “meaning that everyone else outside that is not welcome — just as Germany was ‘for the Germans’ and then became Europe’s ‘black sheep’ for years and years afterward,” he added.
Demonstrations in support of the “Flamingo Revolution” were set to continue both worldwide and in Tirana on Sunday, with rallies planned from New York and Berlin to Vienna and London.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to clarify Edi Rama’s remarks about the protests in Albania.
Alice Taylor contributed reporting.