The UK should take the example of Germany in dealing with the influx of migrants. With that rebuke, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday referred to the way the British government recently described Albanians entering the country via the Channel.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman earlier this week spoke of the “migrant invasion” and “rising numbers of Albanian immigrants” she accused young single men of whom she believed were part of an organized criminal gang. “Many Albanians are also abusing our modern slave laws,” he continued.
The comment caused unrest in England and was also wrong with Rama. “Choosing a community and talking about gangsters and criminals doesn’t sound very British, it sounds more like screaming from a mental hospital,” Rama said, praising Germany’s migration policies at the West Balkans summit in Berlin. “I’ve never heard a German minister speak of Albanians as criminals,” he said, praising the “dignity” of the German approach. Less than 1 per cent of Albanians in the UK are currently in prison, he added.
It’s not about Albanians or foreigners or gangsters, it’s about failed border policies and crime
scapegoat
In an interview with the BBC, Rama said Braverman’s invasion comments were “disturbed” and it was impossible for him not to respond. “It’s not about one person. It’s about the climate created and about finding scapegoats and blaming others. It’s not about Albanians or foreigners or gangsters, but about failed border policies and crimes.”
“Such language is not a policy, not a program, not a vision. This is nothing more than fueling xenophobia and targeting communities. I admire everything Britain stands for, but I really hate this kind of politics that will fail in the end,” said Rama.
Earlier today, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had tried to reassure the public and cited cooperation with Albania in tackling people smuggling. “We have a strong relationship with our Albanian partners. We are grateful for the cooperation with the Albanian government and remain determined to work with them,” the spokesman said.
1 percent of Albanian men
Last week, the British House of Commons learned that 12,000 Albanians had entered the country illegally this year after crossing the Strait. In 2020 there are only 50.
The 10,000 newly arrived migrants are men. It accounts for 1 percent of the adult male population in Albania. Albanians are now the largest group of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
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