Prince Leka". Albanian Royal House. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011 . Retrieved 10 April 2011. March: Greece sought to enter Albanian territory on the pretext of protecting minorities. Berisha requests Turkish military aid. The Turkish government states that if Greek troops entered Albania, then Turkey would immediately invade Greece and capture Athens. The Turkish government demanded that the mistakes made in Bosnia not be repeated in Albania. The head of Gazidede Union, at a hearing in the Albanian Parliament accused anti-Albanian Greek circles, Albanian Socialists, military and criminals. He stated, "The integrity of Albania no longer exists" and "the rebellion was directed towards the destruction of any historic and cultural facility, with long-term goal to eradicate any historical evidence autoktonitetit the Albanians". [ citation needed] January: [53] The Forum for Democracy was formed by opposition parties, led by Daut Gumeni, Fatos Lubonja from the Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC was known for anti-Berisha positions) and Kurt Kola, president of the Association of the Politically Persecuted (also indebted to "the people"). Soon this "Forum" began organizing anti-government protests.

February: [65] The Legality Movement condemned the violence and refused dialogue with the "Forum for Democracy." Ministers meet in Tirana. Barjaba, Kosta (2004). Albania's democratic elections, 1991-1997: analyses, documents and data. Edition Sigma. ISBN 978-3-89404-237-0. For a detailed chronological course of events in the Albanian civil warNicholson, B., 1999. The beginning of the end of a rebellion: southern Albania, May–June 1997. East European Politics and Societies, 13(3), pp.543–565. April: Dozens of people in Fier were wounded and 5 killed, including two children. The Haklaj family led the riots. 3 were killed in Durrës. Between 8–16 January 1997 the schemes finally collapsed. On 22 January the government froze the Xhaferri and Populli firms. "Gjallica", another firm, was on the verge of bankruptcy, while "Vefa", which had invested in Albanian hotels, fuel industry and factories, continued as usual. Several regions in the Western world have placed restrictions on hijabs in recent years. In 2019, Quebec passed a law that barred teachers, police officers and other public sector workers from wearing religious symbols, including hijabs, while at work. Last year, France voted to ban minors from wearing hijabs in public areas, a restriction that was already in place for public schools.

On 26–27 January violence erupted in other southern towns, including the major port city of Vlorë. On 30 January the Forum for Democracy was formed by opposition parties to try and lead the protests. Anger was also directed against President Sali Berisha and the government for allowing the schemes to continue despite IMF advice. [ citation needed] As allegations grew that Berisha and others in the government had personally profited from the schemes, [ citation needed] many [ who?] became convinced that the Democratic Party had to be removed by force. This was especially true in Vlorë. [ citation needed] On 20 February 1997, about 50 students at the University of Vlorë began a hunger strike on campus; they demanded the government's resignation and the full return of invested money. On 22 February, the opposition Forum for Democracy declared its support for the strike. Students from the towns of Gjirokastër and Elbasan also came to give their support. They were then brought by the FRESSH (Youth Wing of Socialist Party) activists from Vlorë to capital Tirana. In contrast, the students of University Luigj Gurakuqi in Shkodër did not take part in the protest, and its Students Union declared that although "the students share the pain of the citizens of Vlorë in losing money in pyramid schemes, on the other hand, they think that freedom and democracy, homeland and nation, have a higher price". [ citation needed] Arsovska, Jana (2015). Decoding Albanian Organized Crime: Culture, Politics, and Globalization. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520282803.January: [51] An angry crowd burned the hall of Peshkopi and the police station. Four policemen were seriously injured.