Albanian Activists Commemorate Anniversary of Theatre’s Demolition

Activists and civil society groups gathered on Monday at the square of the National Theatre in Tirana to commemorate the controversial demolition of the building a year before, announcing another protest at 6pm.

The theatre was demolished one year before in the early hours of the morning, after two years of protests by civil society activists who opposed its demolition by protesting every day at the square.

Police and Special Forces that day dragged out activists who were inside the building and who had barricaded themselves there to protect it.

Activists on Monday recalled the demolition as "a state crime, unpunished by the captured justice (system)" and placed flowers and lit candles at the square, together with a sign that read: "Crime scene", referring to the demolition.

"If we do not live in a regime of outright persecution, we are certainly living in a difficult context of declining civil space and the fear of being silenced, right now when our voice needs to be more resounding and united," they said in a press release.

The National Theatre was constructed between 1938 and 1939 in the centre of the city during the Italian occupation and had typical Italian architecture. It was first built as a cultural centre.

In March 2020, just two months before its demolition, Europa Nostra, a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, selected the theatre as one of the seven most endangered sites in Europe.

"The Theatre was built in 1938-39, is an outstanding example of modern Italian architecture from this period and is an integral urban component of the monumental central axis of the city," it said.

It also condemned strongly its demolition.

The theatre was made the property of Tirana Municipality...