DPC talks with Gresa Hasa (Graz, Austria)

Valery Perry spoke with Gresa Hasa about the Flamingo Revolution in Albania, and how the interest by Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law to develop a luxury resort in an ecologically important part of Albania led to a bottom-up citizen protest movement. While the use of physical violence by security forces against protestors served as a trigger for sustained citizen protests, this movement needs to be viewed within the context of three decades of citizen frustration with the lack of transparency, pervasive corruption and weak rule of law.
They talked about civic mobilization, citizen demands, the prospects for continued protests over the upcoming months, and the role that the European Union should be playing to support Albanian citizens who are actively demonstrating their support for democratic values.
Bringing these issues together, frustration with a fragmented global response to the climate crisis, the consolidation of power and money among an increasingly small sliver of elites and the threat that rampant inequality has on democratic governance show the challenges and potential for collective action, and the opportunities for citizens to learn from one another and demonstrate solidarity.