Italian actor and director Michele Placido has joined the cause of Albanian artists and citizens to defend the National Theater.
On a live conversation with Fax News television, Placido stated:
I think the debate regarding the Theater is a positive thing, because the history contained in that building must not be erased. I have seen this Theater, and its demolition would mean a big loss for Tirana.
The actor expressed his support for the Alliance for the Protection of the Theater and asked the Albanian government not to destroy the historical building:
I am here today to declare that I will support anyone who seeks to preserve this heritage. A country cannot be built by the destruction of old cultural buildings. This is not the way to introduce ourselves to Europe. Tearing this building down would be a barbaric act that would go against everything in your country’s history, although I do not believe the Albanian government will take that step, because it would be destroying a part of Albanian culture.
