U.S. Representatives Joe Wilson, Keith Self and Robert Aderholt took to social media yesterday, describing the protests in Albania as the culmination of citizens’ distrust of corrupt politicians and frustration with the complete disregard for the rule of law.
Their statements were widely shared on social media by young Albanians, who welcomed the lawmakers’ support for their freedom to protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government.
Later that evening, the U.S. Embassy in Tirana issued a statement condemning violence during the protest without condemning violence used by law enforcement officers.
Within an hour, the statement, published on the embassy’s official Facebook page, drew more than 1,000 negative comments, with Albanians expressing disappointment over what they viewed as the embassy’s one-sided response. At the time of writing, the post had received approximately 1,700 comments.
