The Zharrëz Strikers enter Tirana after more than 130km marching against fluid injection earthquakes by Bankers Petroleoum

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – A group of protesters known as the “Zharrëz Strikers” have entered Albania’s capital Tirana after more than 100 km of marching by foot from the small village of Zharrëz in the region of Fier.

The villagers have been protesting against a specific drilling methodology for oil by giant Bankers Petroleum called tectonic fluid injection which is known to facilitate earth tremors in the area. The tremors have cracked the walls of the inhabitants and cause panic for months, while the Government has not taken any concrete measures to establish the truth behind the tremors.

The 9 men entered a hunger strike three weeks ago demanding the government to solve the problem, pointing the finger at Bankers Petroleum as the cause of constant tremors of the grounds where their village stands.

More than 500 homes have been damaged while around 50 are impossible to inhabit. The town mayor Rajmonda Balilaj has blamed Bankers Petroleum which has denied all responsibility for the continuous seismic activity.

“Over 90% of the tremors are outside our operation area” said Bankers Petroleum in a statement.

Today the strikers who have been cheered along the way by random citizens supportive of their cause, will be in Tirana to protest in front of the Ministry of Energy. Their arrival to Tirana comes as the opposition Democratic Party is protesting for more than a week in front of the PM Office in Tirana’s main boulevard. The democrats hope the Zharrëz strikers will join their protest and boost the morale of DP militants. However, the 9 strikers have made it clear they have no political agenda and are only protesting to find a solution for their homes.

Ben Blushi, a rebel socialist MP and founder of new political group “Libra” has called on people to join the strikers, noting that this is the ‘real’ protest.

“The Zharrëz strikers are entering Tirana and I invite you all to support them. Tirana will get filled with the protest of poverty against the injustice caused by old elites. What is starting is the real protest” – said Blushi in his facebook page.

The Strikers have also received the support of active civil society groups such as ‘Nisma Thurje’ and several media outlets in the country.