Berisha’s son detained
"Together with his friends he blocked students’ entrance to the faculty of law"
“Together with his friends he blocked students’ entrance to the faculty of law” Page 2 Calmly and without fuss BY BLENDI FEVZIU From the outside it looks calm and without fuss. Businesspeople, intellectuals and the curious have not left the prime minister’s office since yesterday either, filling it to the brim. Almost the same scene as on other days. In the courtyard there are police officers and guards, but fortunately far from the dramatic scenes that today bear the name of 14 September. It seems as if everything is unfolding calmly, while from the darkest place in the government an inexplicable calm emerges. It is clear that the prime minister has lost some of his former courage. The uncertainty of a man caught in a coup d’état takes the place of calm. Many times in television interviews two weeks ago, he declared with a near-arrogant fury that nothing would happen, that the government was strong and that no one could do anything to it. Fourteen days later he stands with an armed band in the courtyard of the prime minister’s office, while a guard policeman who protects him sounds the alarm horn every time the angry crowd of students approaches his door. And it is the students who, without ever raising their voices and without making any accusation against him or against the government in general, testify to his political weakness. Even yesterday, his usual support was absent; lately it seems to have begun to thin out. Few deputies and senior officials, far from what they declared a week ago and making it clear that they were not with Berisha, as well as many citizens who until a few months ago were ready to die for him. Yesterday dozens of people were in his office, but I have the impression that most had come only to look or to listen. The media have raised many alarms over the crisis caused by Berisha. And all this is enough to convince foreign officials to understand where things are heading if destabilization continues. When their outward calm speaks louder than the alarm, then things must be looked at closely. Striking students in Tirana Serbian agency, UDB, exchanged(?) in Tirana Drama has become prey to the destabilizing game that is now being tested. The early scenes were almost identical in all cases. The irritated speakers, stirred up by the political crowd, each of them carefully using the cameras to play the role more or less briefly. At first there were also tears and screams, stronger voices and insults, but to the dozens of people in the audience they were addressed, and in the end quite a few others created a certain atmosphere. From this sudden calm and from the prime minister’s unacceptable positions, a strong lack of confidence became evident. It is difficult to make direct accusations, but apparently there are still forces moving back and forth to give tone and rhythm to this destabilization. But even if that is not the case, it is clear that the government is threatened by the very climate that has been created. Yesterday morning, after a gathering at the Faculty of Law, a group of students tried to enter the building. They were stopped by several young men who, according to the students, were Shkëlzen Berisha’s friends. Various names were mentioned among them. Then the police intervened and escorted several people away, including Shkëlzen Berisha. According to the students’ statements, the entrance had been blocked and the tension increased. This event served as further proof of the heavy political climate in Tirana. If everything continues this way, then the country is heading toward a confrontation that no one wants.