Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
A photograph is published showing Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, with the caption claiming that he has declared that, "Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia pollute the Albanian coast. "
image with this claim was published on Friday (September 5) on the Facebook page of the online medium "Insajderi.org".
What is the truth?
Hibrid.info has found that this claim has presented Rama's statement as manipulated.
Hibrid.info has found a video published on Youtube on Wednesday (September 3) on the "Euronews Albania" channel on Youtube, with Rama's statement, where he expressed criticism of Albanian citizens who throw garbage in the streets, while talking about water supply and waste treatment (see here(minute 01:22).
Rama's transcribed statement from the video above:
"It is important to understand that in this process of increasing water production, waste treatment and increasing the amount of green space in public spaces within cities, there is a bright side. There is also a dark side of the moon that has to do with those who become obstacles to these processes by stealing water, throwing garbage on the streets... Albanian, Albanian because a foreign tourist does not do this. Albanians who drive do it, Albanians from Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia. Albanians who stop on the side of the highway, take pictures and take the garbage out of the car and throw it there. You have them photographed, and panoramic points to take selfies 'How good you are, my Albania', and garbage piles thrown there. And the photos with beer there at sunset, and the bottles thrown on the ground....Goodbye my Albania, see you next summer. These are situations that need solidarity and drastic measures from the government but also an increase in people's contribution."
Another case where Rama spoke about littering by what he calls "Albanian speakers", hibrid.info came across ADDRESS on Thursday (September 4), where data on tourism in 2025 was presented (see here(minute 54:10).
Rama's other transcribed statement:
"The second is the issue of waste. We have many positive results from the "clean beaches" operation. We have a radical transformation in the cleaning of the territory thanks to the leadership not from the office but from the field of the Minister of Tourism and Environment or otherwise the head of the Albanian cleaner, but she can't do anything, not so much but as if the entire former people's army came to clean the beaches, if in parallel with those who clean there are also those who throw garbage. Tourists not English, Spanish, French, Italian speakers but Albanian speakers, from Albania, from Kosovo, from North Macedonia. Albanians who gather to enjoy the beauties and to enjoy their holidays who stop at panoramic tourist points, take selfies "oh how good you are my Albania" and at the same time unload the garbage from their cars. And if you look at the panoramic points, if you look at the points where it is possible to stop, those are also the points where there are the largest accumulations of personal waste that is thrown away and I am convinced that the biggest polluters are the biggest screamers of the national stadium, I am convinced that the biggest polluters are those who break the chairs in the stadium and who aim to turn the matches into wars when they are supposed to be with Serbia or with someone else that they are ready to fight in the stadium. Meanwhile, these are the polluters of Albania when it comes to staying on the beach.”
Based on these statements, it can be seen that Rama has criticized Albanian citizens who litter on the streets, panoramic points and beaches, not excluding Albanians from Kosovo and North Macedonia from criticism, but has not targeted them separately, as claimed in the publication of "Insajderi.org".
Hibrid.info has found articles published by Albanian-language media, confirming that Rama said that Albanians are the biggest polluters of parks and tourist spots in the country (see here, here and here).
Analyze:
The claim that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that "Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia pollute the Albanian coast" is manipulated.
Hibrid.info found that he criticized Albanian citizens for polluting public and tourist spaces, including those from Kosovo and North Macedonia, but without targeting them separately or with the words reported in the publication under consideration.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses the content treated as "Manipulation of facts".
Reasoning:
“Factual manipulation” is a rating given to informational content that uses facts known to be accurate but interprets them in a distorted manner. These reports typically use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thereby misleading consumers of media content about the actual meaning of the facts presented.