The "Together Movement" wants a trophy for fake reviews—it’s the worst possible review of their politics

For days now, political parties and public figures hovering around the edges of the protest have been trying to whitewash the campaign of fake negative reviews, dressing it up as a "boycott" and "consumer activism." To defend themselves, they point to history, comparing their tactics to civil rights movements or campaigns aimed at economic pressure. But there is a massive difference between refusing to buy a product in protest and launching a blanket smear campaign against any business that doesn't support you—urging people to leave fake reviews for services they never actually used.

The clearest example of this is the "Together Movement" (Lëvizja Bashkë). It is no surprise when parties like “Shqipëria Bëhet” or “Mundësia” sink into cheap populism, since neither ever promised more and nobody expects more from them. But unlike them, “Lëvizja Bashkë” has spent years trying to cultivate an image as a progressive social-democratic force—and is perhaps the only political group around with something resembling a political backbone.

That is why their eagerness to claim credit as the main drivers of this fake review campaign is so bizarre. Their representatives and activists parade their role in this campaign like a political trophy, when in reality it is the worst possible review they could write for themselves in the public eye. More than anything, this desperation reveals something important about the party's current political reality.

Cornered and sidelined in the protest square, the internet is now the only place where Mr. Qori’s party can prove it even exists. Out on the street, where it has lost its authority (ironic for a party with the word "Movement" in its name) and has zero ability to steer events, “Lëvizja Bashkë” seems willing to swallow whatever nonsense comes out of the protest microphone. Instead of standing up against this daily slide into physical and—more often—intellectual abuse, Mr. Qori's party listens seriously to the most ridiculous gibberish. They are ready to justify everything, as if every absurdity shouted from the stage must be defended simply because it is spoken in the name of the protest.

Irrelevant in the square, the party's activists and representatives never miss a chance to revive their keyboard bravery online—the only space where they can still look influential while their party fails on the street. In fact, you have to wonder how they justify their silent support for violence and lynch-mob attacks to the European Parliament members they meet. Not to mention their cozy alliances and photo-ops alongside some of the country's most ultra-conservative public figures—people known as religious hardliners and open crusaders against LGBTQIA+ rights.

For a political force promising radical change, this is a pathetic form of radicalism. It cannot give the protest a clear, sensible political direction, but it can threaten restaurant profiles with bad Google reviews. It cannot formulate concrete, achievable political demands, but it can mobilize people to hit the one-star button on local businesses.

It is sad, because they could have used their ideological identity to resist this decay. They could have demanded and brought real political clarity to the protest. Instead, they chose intellectual surrender in the square, saving their aggression entirely for the digital world.

Now, since they are so desperate to take credit for the fake review campaign, maybe we should give it to them. After all, that campaign gives us the most accurate review of their party: loud on Facebook, but completely powerless and unable to lead out on the street. A party that politically deserves a half-star rating.