July 11, protest for those there and here in the Llogara Tunnel

Alfred Lela

Tomorrow at 20:00, the Democratic Party and its allies in the opposition call the first national protest, which, for neutral political attention, is "one protest among others." But it is not so.

First, this is the first national protest after the political and commissioned imprisonment of the opposition leader, Doctor Berisha. Even though the protest is not called for this reason, the weight of this unjust political restriction on the Democratic Party and the opposition is inevitable.

Secondly, the protest gathers for the first time under the wand of a Democratic Party, which is no longer in 'illegality,' as it was for almost two years, halved, divided, trampled by an evil will of the government, segments of justice and the 'Basha group,' which cost not only the democrats but society and its balances. July 11 is, therefore, a return of the DP's flag, symbols, and legality, the largest in the opposition and the most exemplary sign of Albanian post-communism.

It is not expected and should not be a celebration, but Democrats and all those who believe that the country cannot and should not have a party-state deserve a smile that comes from history and the future.

Thirdly, the July 11 protests in Tirana were suffocated by the African heat wave and the furnace of several Renaissance scandals. You can start from the macabreness of Oncology, perhaps the most spectacular and dark sign of Edi Rama's failure in health and his unfaithful promise of 'free health.' Or to choose a drama that reveals thousands of dramas, that of Pal Trashaj, the 63-year-old Lezjan, who sacrificed himself at the doors of SPAK, persecuted by bailiffs and unheard by justice and society, for a minimal debt that turned into a mountain of weight which he escaped only by self-sacrifice.

How can the July 11 protest not be the river that unites the streams of 15 weeks of energetic and resistant gatherings in front of the Municipality of Tirana, under the heat of an unforgiving summer and the pressure of a police that is more determined in front of the Albanians ordinary than the extraordinary criminals of this country? For a scandal involving the entire management structure of the Municipality and hundreds of millions of euros of a scheme that increases the theft from the classic 20 percent to 100 percent and constitutes, as a judge bravely put it, "the work of a structured criminal group" ?!

How can July 11 not be the alarm of the sinking of the Albanian society on this side of the scale, where the people weigh 200 grams and the rich of the resorts 200 tons? Where ordinary Albanians from Tirana to Dibër and compatriots across the North Macedonian border have been delayed and denied the "Rruga e Arbri" for 11 years, while a handful of fat cats in Palasa e Dhërmi are given a 180 million euro tunnel as a gift, which it cuts the time by 15 minutes, has stratospheric costs to the tourist benefit, puts the small business out of business in Llogara Pass and causes ugliness and environmental pollution in the beautiful valley of Orikum-Dukati?!

This is Edi Rama's Albania in a snapshot. You can go deep into the incinerators, half of the government in prison, and the involvement of the Police in narco-trafficking, as evidenced by the files of the foreign services. This luxury justice arrests the head of the opposition and "compensates" those who eat plums even on the King's back. While rows of files, hostages, and lives of ordinary Albanians (thousands of Pal Trashaj) collect dust in the suspended courts of Albania?

One can dig deep into these 11 evil years of the Renaissance, but as the Bible says, today's day has enough of its sorrow.

Here's why July 11 is not a protest like any other. From here and there in the media, you will hear that it is not so, but notice who says it. They are the fans and users of the Llogara tunnel. The protest is not for them but for over 51 percent of Albanians who, according to official statistics, do not take summer vacations because they have no opportunity.

These are the Albanians of July 11. The others have July 4, the King's birthday, a national holiday. In her honor, they will be showered with champagne in Palasa.