Albanians in Britain are paying the price in schools and workplaces as a result of being acquitted by the media and right-wing politicians, the Albanian ambassador there has said.
Uran Ferizi has also criticized Shabana Mahmood, the Minister of Interior, for comments in Parliament where she singled out Albanians during the discussion of migration problems.
Support the TIME. Preserve the truth.
Professional journalism is in the public interest. Your support helps it remain independent and credible. Contribute too. 1 euro makes a difference.
Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"The fixation on demonizing Albanians has reached the parliamentary rostrum," the ambassador told The Guardian newspaper.
"When a minister mentions a nationality in parliament, instead of talking about a certain behavior or type of crime, he is not describing a problem, but creating a target."
Ferizi reacted against reports that he called erroneous by "The Telegraph" and other media outlets regarding the extent of Albanian involvement in crime in the United Kingdom.
But he also broadened the criticism, implying that he also objected to comments from politicians with foreign backgrounds, including Mahmood, Suella Braverman and others.
"It is particularly demoralizing to see politicians who are themselves second-generation immigrants attacking immigrants who came to Britain after them," he stressed.
The Ambassador emphasized that the impact of negative portrayals of Albanians in the media and by politicians has been felt by the community, including workers, families, and schoolchildren.
According to him, a pattern has been created in the British press where selected statistics are taken out of context.
"Opportunists, who call themselves experts, spread fabricated theories and figures about Albanians, especially as elections approach."
Ferizi cited an analysis in the Daily Telegraph in 2024 that claimed that one in 50 Albanians in the UK was in prison, the highest rate of any nationality. However, he stated that this was achieved through a process “that ignores the most basic procedures to ensure statistical accuracy”.
The ambassador compared what is being done to Albanians to the experience of previous groups of migrants in Britain.
"This has happened to the Jews, to the Irish. Each time, the narrative reflected more the anxiety of the times than the character of the people," he said.
The ambassador's reference to Mahmood related to her comments in parliament in November, when she presented controversial plans for the biggest changes to asylum laws in 40 years.