FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
From speaking in the Knesset in defense of Jews to promoting an artist rejected for anti-Semitic statements, the prime minister follows two opposing lines in a few months.
Prime Minister Edi Rama published a video on Facebook on Thursday announcing Kanye West's concert in Tirana on July 11. The announcement was dry, without explanation. But the context is not. West has been rejected in several countries for anti-Semitic statements and content that has prompted institutional reactions in Europe and Australia.
The Prime Minister’s Office told BIRN that the concert is not funded by the state, while the Ministry of Culture acknowledged that institutions will coordinate to “facilitate” it and linked the activity to economic and tourist benefits. At the same time, activist Sidorela Vatnikaj described the concert as legitimizing a figure who has glorified Nazism.
This is the first fact: an artist banned in the United Kingdom and Australia for reasons related to anti-Semitism is publicly promoted by the Prime Minister of Albania.
The second fact stands in January. Edi Rama was in Jerusalem and took a strong stance against anti-Semitism. In a joint statement with Benjamin Netanyahu, he emphasized the safety and dignity of Jews in Albania.
"Although the Muslim-majority Albanian population joined the suffering of the Palestinian people, Albanians did not gather in hate rallies against Israel. This is in stark contrast to what has happened in other European countries. Our country stands steadfastly against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia," Rama said.
In his speech in the Knesset, Rama spoke about legislation against anti-Semitism, the integration of Holocaust education, and the Albanian tradition of protecting Jews.
He cited historical documents such as Leo Eton's report to the US Congress in the 1930s, which described Albania as a place of refuge for Jews. He also mentioned the legal recognition of the Sabbath as a right in pre-war Albania.
"That is why Albania was among the first countries in Europe to adopt new legislation against anti-Semitism, that is why we have integrated Holocaust education into our school curricula, and that is why we are building at this moment, in the heart of Europe, two special cultural spaces inspired by the attractive force of the enlightening examples of our Muslim and Christian forefathers, who risked their lives to save Jewish lives," he said.
So, within the same year, the prime minister constructs two incompatible public narratives.
In Jerusalem, he seeks moral and political credentials as a leader fighting anti-Semitism. In Tirana, he promotes a figure who has become a symbol of the debate over anti-Semitism in pop culture.
This is not a matter of artistic taste. It is a matter of public attitude. Because promotion is not neutral. When the prime minister publishes a video with a date and name, he gives institutional weight to an event, regardless of who finances it.
The Ministry of Culture's argument about tourism and the economy does not resolve the contradiction. It only shifts it. Because if the criterion is economic, then every other standard that Rama articulated in the Knesset about anti-Semitism and historical memory falls apart.
At this point the political question arises: who was the visit to Israel for?
The statements in the Knesset and the meeting with Netanyahu are documented. Equally documented is the rejection of Kanye West in several countries because of his statements. Putting these two facts on the same timeline produces a simple conclusion: attitudes vary according to the audience.
In Israel, Rama talks about Jews and history. In Albania, he talks about events and clicks.
This is the hypocrisy that comes from his actions themselves, not from his interpretation. Because there is no document or statement that links the promotion of the concert with a distancing from the artist's statements. On the contrary, there is only promotion and silence.
In the end, it's not a question of whether the concert will take place or not. It's a question of whether the prime minister holds the same standard in Tirana that he articulates in Jerusalem.
So far, the facts show the opposite. /Pamphlet
Jo vetem qe nuk ka dy fytyra por eshte i pafytyre fare ky kryeministri une flirtiez me nazizmin.