Four students from the “Naim Frashëri” high school in Durrës spent the night in police custody in Kotor, Montenegro, after making the Albanian double-headed eagle gesture with their hands during a school trip.
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How the Incident Unfolded in Kotor
The incident took place on the afternoon of October 31, at around 5:30 p.m., as the students were returning from lunch during their school excursion.
According to media reports, an elderly woman asked the teenagers where they were from. They reportedly responded by making the double-headed eagle gesture with their hands, a symbol associated with Albanian national identity.
The woman reacted to the gesture and subsequently contacted the police, claiming that she had been threatened by the students.
Kotor police officers took the four teenagers into custody over an alleged misdemeanour involving the incitement of national hatred. They remained at the police station overnight, where one of the teachers accompanying the school group also went.
Court Issues Verbal Reprimand
On the morning of November 1, the four Albanian students appeared before the competent court in Montenegro.
The proceedings ended with a verbal reprimand for the teenagers, with no more severe punitive measure imposed.
According to reports, Montenegro's authorities had been notified of the incident, while Albania's Regional Directorate of Pre-University Education in Durrës and the Ministry of Education were informed on Saturday evening.
Questions Over Albania’s Consular Response
As of the publication of the initial reports, Albania's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs had not issued a public statement regarding the detention and court proceedings involving the four students.
It was also unclear whether Albanian consular authorities had intervened or provided assistance to the teenagers while they were held at the police station.
Although the incident ended with a verbal reprimand, questions remain about the full circumstances surrounding the complaint, the basis for the students' detention and the assistance provided to the minors during their stay in police custody.
The case has drawn attention because the gesture at the centre of the incident is widely recognised as a symbol of Albanian national identity. However, the exact circumstances of the exchange between the students and the woman, including the allegation that she was threatened, have not been independently established in the information available.