Protest with anti-Albanian slogans

HIMARA, Aug 11 – Hundreds of residents gathered at the town hall in Himara while waving anti-nationalistic slogans. Many of the protesters arrived by bus at a time when immigrants return home for vacations to protest against the privatization of the land along the Riviera.
The protest, headed by Himara mayor Vasil Bollano, who tried to calm down the harshest protesters, said they would not allow their land to be sold or given to individuals, accusing central authorities of abusing the sale of properties during the past 18 years.
Participants said they will create commissions in each village by the end of November to prepare all documents to prove ownership of the land.
Bollano’s effort to stop anti-Albanian slogans was taken only during the meeting, because afterwards some of protesters left the hall with slogans written in Greek and shouting in Himara’s streets.
Himara has been the scene of continuous problems in the country recently. Bollano has insisted the town is part of an ethnic Greek minority area, something that formally has yet to be accepted by Tirana.
But the Tirana government and Prime Minister Sali Berisha have been very reluctant to counter such claims, as they fact they fear Greece, which supports Bollano, may retaliate.
But some lawmakers, such as Spartak Ngjela and Nikollaq Neranxi, say that land in Himara and along the Riviera belongs to the residents there but they also harshly accuse Bollano of separatist ideas and say he should abide by the law in his actions and words.
Bollano is, meanwhile, on trial for removing all road signs written in Albanian and replacing them with signs written in Greek.