The long-distance debate continues between Albania\u2019s Prime Minister Edi Rama and the leader of the British Reform Party, Nigel Farage.<\/p>\n
After Farage\u2019s response on Twitter, where he mentioned Rama in his post, the Albanian Prime Minister quickly replied to the British MP regarding the number of Albanians in UK prisons.<\/p>\n
Rama once again rejected the figure published by Farage, who claims that 1 in 48 Albanians in England is in prison, describing Farage\u2019s insistence as \u201cmalevolent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo err is human, but to persist in error is malevolent,\u201d Rama wrote.<\/p>\n
The Albanian Prime Minister addressed Nigel Farage, saying that instead of bothering the Home Secretary, he should let Rama know when he can be welcomed in Tirana as an honorary guest. \u201cBecause clearly, numbers are not your strong suit, so let\u2019s be clear \u2014 YOU LOST.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rama called Farage\u2019s \u201cregistration\u201d of Albanians in the UK particularly laughable. He stated that Farage claims there are only 53,000 Albanians, when in fact the number is several times higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actual Albanian population in the UK may be up to 140,000 \u2014 which means that fewer than one in 100 are in prison,\u201d wrote Rama.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what you\u2019re saying falls apart. Now, regarding the number of prisoners, a more relevant question is: how many of them are actually convicted for crimes unrelated to your outdated immigration and visa system?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, numbers can be boring, but they are also stubborn. And when someone continuously lies about them, the question is: why insist? Because being malevolent seems even lower than your usual style.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all, \u2018one in 50 Albanians in UK prisons\u2019 is not a fact \u2014 that\u2019s called a post-Brexit delusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to welcoming you to Albania, as promised, to share plenty of sunshine, warm hospitality, and true facts,\u201d Rama concluded.<\/p>\n
Rama\u2019s full statement:<\/p>\n
Dear @Nigel_Farage,<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Catholic grandmother, may her soul rest in peace, always reminded me of the Latin saying: Errare humanum est, sed perseverare diabolicum. Which I believe means something like: To err is human, but to persist in error is malevolent.<\/p>\n
So instead of bothering the Home Secretary, who is already busy, maybe just let me know when I can welcome you in Tirana as an honorary guest. Because, dear Nigel, numbers don\u2019t seem to be your strong point, so let\u2019s be clear \u2014 YOU LOST.<\/p>\n
Your \u2018registration\u2019 of Albanians in Britain is particularly laughable. You claim there are 53,000. In reality, the number is much higher \u2014 several times more. But let\u2019s stick to your source: The Telegraph, which was the first to raise the \u2018one in 50\u2019 theory, and later admitted:<\/p>\n
\u2018The analysis likely underestimated the size of the Albanian population, as it does not include illegal immigrants, including over 12,000 who arrived in small boats in 2022. Some estimates suggest the real Albanian population may be up to 140,000 \u2014 which means that fewer than one in 100 are in prison.\u2019<\/p>\n
Now, as for the number of prisoners, here\u2019s a more relevant question: how many of them are actually convicted for crimes unrelated to your outdated immigration and visa system?<\/p>\n
Yes, numbers may be boring \u2014 but they\u2019re also stubborn. And when someone keeps lying about them, the real question is: why insist? Because frankly, being malevolent seems even lower than your usual style.<\/p>\n
Albanians in Britain are not just statistics to be twisted for your post-Brexit political theatre, dear Mr. Farage. They are students, academics, builders, drivers, business owners, and partners. And if one in a thousand fails, that does not make the others victims of your national confusion.<\/p>\n
We have stood side by side with the British government in dramatically reducing illegal migration and fighting crime. The real numbers prove it \u2014 and that\u2019s called cooperation. But \u2018one in 50 Albanians in UK prisons\u2019? That\u2019s not a fact \u2014 that\u2019s a post-Brexit delusion.<\/p>\n
I look forward to welcoming you in Albania, as promised, to share plenty of sunshine, warm hospitality, and true facts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The long-distance debate continues between Albania\u2019s Prime Minister Edi Rama and the leader of the British Reform Party, Nigel Farage. After Farage\u2019s response on Twitter, where he mentioned Rama in his post, the Albanian Prime Minister quickly replied to the British MP regarding the number of Albanians in UK prisons. Rama once again rejected the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":79597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[150,243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n