Lapsi reports that the fruit and vegetable vendors have recently removed from the Pazar i ri to make place for a cultural event sponsored by the Albanian–American Development Foundation (AADF), which has funded a large part of the renovation of the Pazar i Ri.
It is unclear why the Municipality of Tirana chose to give a permit to the AADF, considering the fact that the market is rented out to the vendors, who sell their wares in order to earn their daily bread. Vendors will allegedly not be compensated for the loss in sales.
This incident shows clearly how so-called public spaces, even those proclaimed to be at the service of small business owners and citizens, are increasingly and randomly appropriated by the state for propaganda purposes.
