Your posting contains a couple of inaccuracies, as well as it is politically problematic.
First, Albanians have not taken over anything in London even though the UK Government wants to portray them as such. The reality is quite the opposite. Albanians, who were part of the Ottoman Empire – one of the most important empires of the modern time, have been living under British occupation or control since 1912; it depends on how we choose to name it. Therefore, it is the British Empire which has taken over our country, and it is the same empire which has supported horrible rulers, such as Ahmed Zogu and Enver Hoxha and those who were responsible for the civil war of 1997.
Indeed, the best defense is a good offense. That’s exactly what the UK Government is doing, by organizing a protest and portraying Albanian immigrants, who have left their own country hopelessly and in search of survival due to the regimes that the British Empire supports in Albania, as ‘occupiers of London,’ or worse yet, as criminals and gangs.
In addition, Albanians do not need to and ought not remember the British sacrifices of WWI because after all that war brought to an end the Ottoman Empire – our empire. It was a war against us. WWI was all about the Ottoman Empire, not a war between Germany and the British Empire, which were ruled by two kings who were cousins of each other. In this regard, Albania was part of the bloc that was attacked by the British Empire and its allies.
Mr. Farage, the damage that the British Empire has inflicted upon our nation, by controlling our politics and political agendas since 1912, aren’t even comparable with the so-called problems that Albanians are causing in London.
While I believe the protest is merely an attempt of the British Government to make Albanians appear as a problem in your country, the issue is more complex and historic, much bigger and serious.
As a reminder, I would like to mention the fact that currently, Albania is the poorest country in Europe; it has the highest immigration per capita perhaps in the world; it has been ruled by the most corrupt governments in Europe over the last century; our nation has experienced the most horrible regime, that is, the communist regime; in the 1990s, our people underwent many difficulties, which culminated with the civil war of 1997 when their cash was stolen by the Albanian Government. You might argue that this is not the problem of the UK Government.
Apparently, Albania is an independent country. However, isn’t the UK Government, or rather the British Empire, bothered by the fact that it has supported the national movement of 1912 against the Ottoman Empire, that it has put in power Ahmed Zogu and Enver Hoxha? Such are verifiable facts, not mere opinions. At the same time, this alliance with the West meant oppression and poverty.
You also might argue that history is complicated anyway, so we should not dig too deep into it. This might be right, but the problem is that Albanians continue to be discriminated to this very day. As a politician or political activist yourself, why don’t you ask the right questions about the reasons that led them to immigrate illegally to the UK, which I insist, it is not the main issue. The main issue is that there is a clear agenda against our people, which are factually the poorest in Europe.
Those who represent the British Empire in Albania, i.e., the ruling elite and intellectuals, never cease mentioning that the UK Government and the USA are our biggest allies and friends, and that the days when we were under Ottoman Empire were dark days. Yet, we can see clearly that the so-called alliance or friendship with the UK Government and the USA has not benefited us at all. On the contrary, our people continue to pay the price of the alliance with the West, more precisely, the British Empire, an alliance which is simply another word for occupation.
If the Ottoman Empire made Albanians grand viziers and governors, elevated them to a position that they had never had before, the alliance if you wish – not the occupation for the sake of argument, with the British Empire and the West in general has rendered our nation the most humiliated one in Europe. Next time when you choose to react against our people, think of this fact, Mr. Farage.
Having said that, I value your reaction because at least it might be the beginning of bringing the Albanian cause to the table of politics and a chance of reconsidering many things.
It is the time for Albanians to know more about their history and their potential.
Sabri Lushi
Independent Writer
