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Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution': PM blames 'hybrid war' as protests escalate

From Daily Star · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Weeks of protests, dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution," have become Albania's largest civic movement since communism's fall, initially sparked by environmental concerns over a luxury tourism project.
  • Prime Minister Edi Rama dismisses domestic grievances, framing the protests as a "hybrid war" fueled by external actors and digital manipulation, including state-sponsored mercenaries and anti-Israeli groups.
  • A scholar likens Rama's strategy to communist-era tactics, suggesting he shifts focus from protesters' demands to alleged foreign enemies to maintain power.

Tirana, Albania – For over three weeks, nightly demonstrations in Tirana have transformed into Albania's most significant civic protest movement since the collapse of communism, earning the moniker "Flamingo Revolution."

The world did not wake up because of the fate of Narta, but because of the name of Jared Kushner.

— Edi RamaPrime Minister Edi Rama stated this at a Socialist Party meeting on June 20, linking international attention to the protests with the involvement of Jared Kushner.

The protests began as an environmental outcry against a government-approved luxury tourism project slated for Zvernec, a protected coastal area. However, the movement rapidly broadened, evolving into a wider political challenge that now includes demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation.

Rama, however, rejects the notion that domestic issues solely fuel the unrest. He asserts that the demonstrations are part of a "hybrid war" orchestrated by external forces and amplified through digital manipulation. The prime minister specifically pointed to state-sponsored actors, including those from Iran, and opponents of Donald Trump as part of a "digital cyclone" influencing the protests.

When a civic protest is presented as Iranian, anti-Israeli, or driven by Trump's opponents, attention shifts away from what protesters are demanding. The debate moves instead to the alleged authors of the protest, the external enemy.

— Jonila GodoleJonila Godole, a scholar of political communication, explained how Prime Minister Rama's framing of the protests shifts focus from domestic issues to external threats.

This framing, according to Jonila Godole, a scholar of political communication, echoes tactics used during Albania's communist past. Godole argues that Rama is deflecting attention from the protesters' core demands by focusing on alleged foreign instigators. "When a civic protest is presented as Iranian, anti-Israeli, or driven by Trump's opponents, attention shifts away from what protesters are demanding," she told DW, adding that this strategy mirrors the communist regime's use of fear and external enemies to suppress dissent and maintain control.

Fear was the political capital of the communist regime. It kept society u

— Jonila GodoleGodole drew parallels between Rama's rhetoric and the tactics of Albania's communist past, where fear was used to control the population.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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