Rama's anti-Greek MP and his institutional presence in the Municipality of Athens

The presence and public activity of Ardit Bido in Athens cannot go unnoticed. He is a member of parliament in the Rama government, known for his openly anti-Greek positions and attacks on the Greek minority, with a particular focus on Himara. Furthermore, he often repeats historical and ethnic fairy tales, presenting distorted facts and exaggerated interpretations in favor of Albania and against Greece.

Για όσους δεν γνωρίζουν ποιος είναι, αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι ο Bido έχει αναδειχθεί τα τελευταία χρόνια σε έναν από τους πιο επιθετικούς εκφραστές του ανθελληνισμού στο πολιτικό περιβάλλον της Αλβανίας. Με συχνές δημόσιες παρεμβάσεις, άρθρα και δηλώσεις, στοχοποιεί σταθερά την ελληνική μειονότητα, αμφισβητεί την ιστορική παρουσία του Ελληνισμού στη Βόρειο Ήπειρο και επαναφέρει διαρκώς το λεγόμενο «τσάμικο ζήτημα», κατηγορώντας την Ελλάδα για δήθεν συγκάλυψη περιουσιακών απαιτήσεων. Η πολιτική του διαδρομή βασίστηκε σε μεγάλο βαθμό σε αυτή ακριβώς τη ρητορική, την οποία αξιοποίησε και προεκλογικά.

Symbolism and reality: the protection of Greek Cypriots

Today, Monday, February 16, Bido had a meeting with a representative of the Municipality of Athens, the Deputy Mayor for Municipal Property, Paris Charlaftis, which he himself made public on social media. In this post, he talks about an agreement to grant spaces to public schools in Athens for the teaching of the Albanian language, presenting the meeting as an important step of "friendship" and "respect for identity."

In a translated excerpt of his post, which begins with the phrase "The albanian language is taught In athens," he states:

"I thanked him warmly for his support and for making space available in public schools in Athens for the opening of two Albanian language courses. This is a small step in form, but very big in significance. When a city like Athens opens the doors of its schools to the Albanian language, it opens its doors to the memory, identity and roots of thousands of Albanian families."

After our communication with the deputy mayor, it is clarified that this specific training program is not a new decision nor the product of a recent political agreement, but an educational action that has been "running" for some time, within the framework of institutional procedures.

In any case, the public promotion of the meeting by Bido himself and the way in which he utilizes his presence in Greece for communication and political purposes are elements that cannot be ignored.

Δεν έχουν περάσει παρά μόλις δύο ημέρες από τη στιγμή που ο ίδιος δημοσίευσε βίντεο από την πλατεία Συντάγματος, στο οποίο υποστήριζε ότι η φουστανέλα των Ευζώνων της Προεδρικής Φρουράς έχει τις ρίζες της στην Αλβανία. Στο ίδιο βίντεο ισχυρίστηκε ακόμη ότι το πρώτο Σύνταγμα της Ελλάδας δημιουργήθηκε κατόπιν παρότρυνσης Αλβανών που κατοικούσαν στην Αθήνα επί βασιλείας Όθωνα, τονίζοντας μάλιστα ότι η ίδια η λέξη «σύνταγμα» ήταν άγνωστη στους κατοίκους της πόλης, οι οποίοι, σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο, στην πλειονότητά τους ήταν Αλβανοί.

These statements are neither accidental nor innocent. They are part of a consistent effort of historical distortion and political provocation, which comes in complete contrast to the profile of "dialogue" and "friendship" that he attempts to present in his meetings in Greece.

Greece must remain open and democratic. However, it must not function as a field of political embellishment for individuals who systematically invest in anti-Hellenism. Tolerance has limits and silence cannot be a permanent answer.