Two Greeks reportedly arrested in Albania ahead of Katsifas funeral
Two Greeks have reportedly been arrested in Albania for the possession of clothes sporting paramilitary symbols and slogans that fuel hatred, according to Albanian news portal Faxweb.
The news comes a few hours before the funeral of 35-year-old Konstantinos Katsifas in the village of Bularat in southern Albania, who was shot dead by Albanian police last week.
The two Greek nationals will appear before the prosecutor during the day.
Faxweb also reported that Albanian authorities banned 13 people from entering the country at the border crossing with Greece in Kakavia because there were indications they would attempt to disrupt the service.
Greece’s Foreign and Civil Protection Ministries have appealed to Greeks planning to attend the funeral to show restraint and respect towards Katsifas’s family, according to sources from the two ministries, cited by state-run news agency ANA-MPA.
Members of the ethnic Greek community in Albania are concerned that extremists will try to hijack the funeral to promote irredentist claims that could further strain relations between the two countries.
