Mehmet Gega

Mehmet Gega was a teacher and an Albanian rights activist

History

Early life

Mehmet Gega was born in Tetovo, where he also completed his education. Under policies of Alexander Rankovic, many Albanian families were sent to Turkey. In 1955, Gega was sentenced to 10 years in prison for obstructing the forced deportation of Albanian families to Turkey.^[1]

1968 demonstrations in Tetovo

On the 18th of October, 1968, Albanian students and teachers boycott the High Schools in Tetovo. The students and teachers were demanding the opening of Albanian classes. The opening of Albanian classes was proposed in 1967, but was rejected by Macedonian political bodies. On October 20, 1968, a parallel Albanian education structure was formed.^[2]

On 28 November 1968, also the national flag day of Albania, Mehmet Gega organised another protest with the citizens of Tetovo near the mosques clock tower.^[3]

On the evening of the 19 December 1968, the beginning of Eid ul-Fitr, Mehmet Gega organised all the mosques within Tetovo and the villages of Tetovo, to raise the Albanian flag from their minarets. Eventually, on the day after, houses and shops also carried out Albanian flags.^[4]

Around this time, many Albanian rights protests were organised around Macedonia, Preshevo, Kosovo and Montenegro.^[5]

Retaliation

On the evening of December 22, Srecko Janevski, an ethnic Macedonian, tore the Albanian flag from the front of a tailor workshop in the centre of Tetovo. Outraged by this act, Gega and hundreds of Albanians gathered at the scene.^[6] Srecko Janevski, armed with a gun, fled the scene threatening the Albanians and hid within a hotel. The angry mob marched to the hotel and nearly broke in to the hotel. The Macedonian police arrived and intervened, escorting Janevski to safety. Outraged that Janevski escaped justice, Mehmet Gega's group took position to continue the protest. The next day on December 23, the protest turned into a demonstration. Around 11 organizers: Faik Mustafa, Ramadan Sinani, Ismail Emini, Hysniqemal Merxhani etc., were gathered before the shop were the incident took place.^[7] Measure of demonstrators, moved from the center toward the municipal assembly. Hamid Salim, a student, and some friends entered the premises of the municipality and in the window of an office on the third floor, raised the Albanian flag. Once notified by the guardians of the municipal police, there is caused a clash between demonstrators and the police. Demanding the release of prisoners arrested by the police, demonstrators then march towards the city market and the road that leads to Ferizaj. During the march, Albanian workers from the Tetex factories joined the march.^[8]

The demonstrators were holding banners and transparent national slogans:^[9]
"Down with Macedonia"
"We demand the opening of a university in Kosovo,"
"We demand the free use of National Flag"

While endless masses chanting:^[10]
"Constitution, Constitution!," Flag, Flag "
"We teach in Albanian." Etc.

In late afternoon, the move from 4 to 5 thousand people (which was still growing) was gathered in the centre of the town. The Tetovo police as well as reinforcements from Skopje arrived. In this situation, enthusiasm followed by cheers and banners for national equality. before the crowd, 20-year-old boy Shifajet Fetahu, climbed a metal pole and put the national flag, raising the flag before the demonstrators.^[11]

Arrests

Many of the protesters were arrested after the demonstrations. Mehmet Gega was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Aftermath

Due to the events that occurred in Tetovo, as well as the protests in Kosovo, the new constitution, implemented by Edvard Kardelj in 1974, allowed the use of the Albanian flag within Yugoslavia, Opening of University in Kosovo, and Kosovo having the same privileges as republic states.

References

1. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
2. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
3. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
4. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
5. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
6. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
7. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
8. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
9. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
10. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
11. ^ B.Berisha. "ROLI HISTORIK I DEMONSTRATAVE SHQIPTARE TË VITIT 1968". http://www.radiokosovaelire.com/temat.php?id=30. Retrieved 14 March 2011.