A man has was briefly detained in Himara for distributing pamphlets calling for uprising against Albanian government; Albanian nationalists commemorate massacre, desecrate Epirus flag in response
VLORA, Feb. 15 – Police in southwestern Albania on Sunday briefly detained a supporter of Greek nationalism who had distributed pamphlets calling for an uprising and the secession of southern Albania, which Greek nationalists refer to as “Northern Epirus.”
Police said the pamphlets fell under an exception to free speech activities under Albania’s constitution, relating to the inviolability of the the country’s territory and calls for violent insurrection.
The man is a resident of Himara, a town on the Albanian Riviera, where many speak Greek at home as their first language, however the area is not an officially recognized ethnic Greek minority municipality.
Police said Filip Dhimojani, 28, was detained under charges of distribution of anti-constitutional writings. He was later released. Police said they also want to speak to a second person who was helping Dhimojani distribute the pamphlets.
“Slaves are those who wait for others to free them,” the pamphlets noted, referring to the 100-year anniversary of the Northern Epirus declaration, an attempt by Greek nationalists to annex large parts of the southern Albania.
Ethnic Greeks make up less than 2 percent of Albania’s resident population, according to the latest census figures, but Greek nationalists claim the figure is higher.
Events a century ago were also remembered by Albanian nationalists in southern Albania.
The Sons of Gjirokastra and Tepelena, a local nationalist organization in those two districts, set up a protest against the anti-Albanian pamphlets. They wrapped the Northern Epirus flag on sheep as a sign of disrespect and held a ceremony to commemorate the death of 217 Albanians killed by Greek nationalists in 1914 in the village of Hormova.
Despite having many things in common and with hundreds of thousands of Albanian immigrants living in neighboring Greece, nationalistic efforts from extremists on both sides come up every now and then, often sparking some diplomatic friction between the two governments.
Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos is expected to soon visit Albania as part of the regional tour, as Athens holds the EU rotating presidency during the first half this year.
