Incident with the Israeli flag at the protest/ Albanian Jewish Community: The incident should be investigated seriously

2026-06-21 14:12:00, Aktualitet CNA

Incident with the Israeli flag at the protest/ Albanian Jewish Community: The

The Albanian Jewish Community has reacted to the incident that occurred during the protest held yesterday evening in Tirana, where a protester removed the Israeli flag from the Israeli embassy.

The Jewish community has expressed its indignation and deep concern over the act and the anti-Israeli calls articulated during the protest. It further states that desecration of the flag is not a form of protest but an act of hatred.

Among other things, he added that the Albanian Jewish Community considers this development worrying, as according to them, for the first time attempts are being observed to normalize anti-Semitic language in the Albanian public space.

Institutions are also called upon to investigate the incident, identify the perpetrators and organizers of these acts, and guarantee that Albania will not become a ground for the propaganda of hatred, anti-Semitism, or extremism.

Full statement:

The Albanian Jewish Community expresses its shock, indignation and deepest concern for the serious act of desecration of the flag of the State of Israel near the Israeli Embassy in Tirana, as well as for the public calls for hatred against Israel articulated during the protest held last evening.

This is not just an incident. This is an alarm signal.

Desecrating the flag of a sovereign state and friend of the Republic of Albania is not a form of protest. It is an act of hatred, an attack on the norms of international law, on diplomatic missions, and on the very culture of tolerance that has made Albania respected around the world.

Even more alarming are the statements heard from the protest podium, where certain individuals publicly declared that “Israel is our enemy.” This is dangerous, divisive, and hate-mongering language, which aims to import into Albania conflicts and extremist narratives that have never had a place in Albanian society.

The Albanian Jewish Community considers this development extremely worrying, as for the first time open attempts are being observed to normalize anti-Semitic language in the Albanian public space. History has shown that anti-Semitism does not begin with violence; it begins with words, with propaganda, with demonization and with silence in the face of them. Precisely for this reason, any such act must be condemned immediately and without any relativization.

Albania cannot and must not allow masked individuals or radical groups to tarnish our country's international reputation. This is the country that protected Jews during the Holocaust when most of Europe was handing them over to death. Albania became a symbol of Faith, of humanism and of moral courage. This is our national identity and no one has the right to replace it with hate speech.

We clearly emphasize that the right to protest is a fundamental right in a democratic society. But this right ends the moment it turns into incitement to hatred, desecration of state symbols, attacks on diplomatic missions and calls that fuel anti-Semitism.

The Albanian Jewish Community welcomes the immediate and clear response of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, which condemned this unacceptable act. At the same time, we call on the responsible institutions to investigate this event with maximum seriousness, to identify the perpetrators and organizers of these acts and to guarantee that Albania will not become a ground for the propaganda of hatred, anti-Semitism or extremism.

We also call on the entire political spectrum, the media, civil society, religious communities, and every responsible citizen to unequivocally reject any attempt to sow hatred against Jews or the State of Israel. Silence in the face of hate speech is not neutrality; it is dangerous.

The Albanian Jewish Community remains determined to defend the values ??upon which the historical relationship between the Albanian people and the Jewish people is built: respect, dignity, solidarity and the protection of human life.

Albania is not and will never be a country of anti-Semitism. Those who try to import hatred into our country do not represent Albania, do not represent the Albanian people and do not represent our history. The history of Albania is the history of Besa, not of hatred. / CNA