Protest over Tik Tok shutdown, DW: Opposition says it's censorship before elections

It's Saturday evening in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and 14-year-old Martin B. is sitting on the sidewalk in front of the building where the prime minister is located.

Martin is one of hundreds of young people who have gathered there to protest against the government's decision to shut down TikTok for 12 months.

The protest was called by the Albanian opposition after the left-wing government of Prime Minister Edi Rama decided to ban the app because it says it is inciting youth violence in schools.

Martin B. says that although it has nothing to do with politics, the government's decision "is not a smart solution."

"Banning TikTok will not solve the situation," he told DW. "On the contrary, it will create bigger problems. Because young people will find other pro-Chinese apps to browse - as is happening in the US - and they can steal more data and sensitive information from our phones."
A father's pain and indignation
The ban was triggered by the death of another 14-year-old boy named Martin, who was stabbed by another student at his school in Tirana last November after a debate on social media that had been going on for several days.

A month later, the government decided to ban TikTok.

The boy's father, Engjell Cani, told DW that "Martin never had a TikTok account and he did not die because of TikTok."
"Our family condemns the use of our son's murder for political purposes," Cani said. "We have followed with deep pain and indignation the way our tragedy is being used for political purposes and to justify the government's decision to shut down the social network TikTok."

TikTok was not involved.
TikTok itself also confirmed that Martin Cani did not use the app. TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, issued a statement shortly after the government announced the ban in December, saying it was seeking further clarification from the Albanian government because the videos that led to the stabbing were "posted on another platform, not TikTok."

In January, Prime Minister Rama met with Christine Grahn, TikTok's Head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Europe. He described the meeting as "completely open and constructive" and said the two had "set several milestones for cooperation for the coming weeks and months."

Neither the Albanian government nor TikTok issued an official statement after the meeting, which was seen in Albania as an indication that the government may soften its stance on a potential TikTok ban.

But when the government announced on March 7 that it intended to continue with the ban, opposition parties claimed that the closure was motivated by the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 11.

The shutdown has begun.
Following the government's decision, the Albanian National Authority for Cybersecurity (AKSK) ordered all internet providers in the country to submit written confirmation that TikTok will be shut down in Albania by March 13.

This includes blocking relevant IP addresses and DNS servers associated with the app, as well as the addresses of the company ByteDance, which allows users to navigate TikTok despite the ban.
Albania's move follows bans or partial bans in at least 20 other countries amid concerns about inappropriate video content or security concerns.

Allegations of pre-election censorship
The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, called this action censorship before the general elections.

Prime Minister Edi Rama hopes to win a fourth term in office in May.

Unusually for an opposition leader, Berisha did not actually speak at the protest, which lasted about an hour, instead giving the floor to the young protesters, who held banners with slogans such as "You sent TikTok to exile too" and "Freedom of speech, not censorship."

But as the government and opposition debate the ban, teenager Martin B. remains concerned and believes that bullying and violence in Albanian schools will continue.

"I'm not sure if the incidents in our schools will stop with the ban on TikTok," he said.