History seems to be repeating itself, only this time we are in 2026 and not under the communist dictatorship.
Edi Rama, a descendant of the family of Spiro Koleka, a former member of the Political Bureau of Enver Hoxha’s regime, has warned that students who engage in violence against the police will no longer benefit from free education, while the families of minors will bear financial responsibility for the damage caused.
But who determines guilt? The prime minister from the podium, or the courts of the Republic?
Once, in communist Albania, political biography and one’s stance toward the Party could determine whether a young person had the right to study, work or build a future.
Today, after 35 years of pluralism, a prime minister is warning of consequences for the education of young people precisely at the height of protests against his government.
What historical irony. Young people are protesting for better education and a better future, while the government responds with warnings about the loss of educational benefits.
No one is above the law. Anyone who uses violence or destroys property must answer individually before justice. But guilt is not declared by the prime minister, and education cannot be turned into a privilege that power grants or removes at will.
A democratic state cannot treat students who oppose the government as enemies of the state.
While promising a 2,500-euro reward for officers engaged in the protest, Rama must also answer accusations of police violence against citizens.
Albania has already lived through a time when the Party decided a person’s schooling, work and future. It must not allow this logic to return to its institutions.
The right to protest is not a gift from Edi Rama. The right to education is not the property of the government. And Albania is not the property of any party.
Students are citizens of the Republic, not pupils of the prime minister’s political obedience.