Frederick Nddot: Eddie Rama was threatened to kill people if I sang

A few nights ago, at a restaurant in Velipoja, where Frederick Ndoci was singing, the police intervened at the locals about ten o'clock, stopping the music. The case received media attention due to the mention of Prime Minister Edi Rama's name and Shkodra Mayor Voltana Ademi. In an interview with “Panorama”, Frederick Ndoci explains what happened, why Eddie Rama's name was mentioned, and why he doubts that Voltana Ademi is behind this story.

What exactly happened at the bar where you sing in Velipoja?

That's exactly what we can't know, I mean, the reason, because what happened everybody saw. Police created terror while people were having dinner and listening to music. As everyone may know, neither in Velipja nor in any other tourist country, quiet and familiar places where they really go to enjoy themselves in a civic way are few, if at all, without having any. And in this situation that we're in comes three armed police vans create terror as if the bar was filled with criminals.

What did the police do at dinner that came armed?

He gave up his music classically and told us to stop because that was the order.

What time was it?

The clock hadn't yet gone before 10:00.

What's the allowed time for live music?

On weekdays, from the moment it starts until 11:00. On the weekend, Friday, the schedule is until 00 a.m. or a few minutes later, but it generally closes at this hour.

How long have you been singing in Veliplo and had there been similar occasions before?

No, nothing ever happened. It's been a month since I'm there, and everything's been going really well even the restaurant clientele has been added. Last night, when they came to our house, there were some women who told me that they had come from Shkodra to listen to me, but we couldn't because that night they prevented me from singing.

What's around the restaurant? Are there any resort hotels that might worry?

Yeah, there's a hotel next to the restaurant, and as we were told, the hotel owner had sent a message to Eddie Rama asking him to shut down the music. He threatened her!

Did Eddie threaten Rama? Otherwise, what would he do?

I didn't see these myself, but they told us that he had written that he would kill himself or any of the vacationers if they didn't take action because he couldn't take it anymore.

After this message came the police?

The police there had come earlier, more precisely, to see the situation as they did with all other countries but had never behaved like the previous night, so scary and creating terror.

Do the acoustics measure? What's the situation?

That is what we asked for, and we too seek to measure. First of all, I have to say that I don't sing that kind of music to bother you around, and secondly, I have all my own meter and I control everything. I don't happen to have passed the rate, but even if I did, nobody's come to make the right measurements and estimates.

The hotel's clients whose owner complained about coming to the restaurant?

Yeah, they're continuous clients.

Can that be a reason, conflict of interest?

No, it's not because the hotel doesn't even have a restaurant.

How, then, do you explain it? In your comments to social networks, you mentioned Shkodra Mayor Voltana Ademi. Why did you say it was her hand?

Because the prime minister can't be in any way, it seems totally absurd, no matter what they say. Voltana may have heard that the message was delivered to the prime minister and that he was impressed in front of him, but also to punish me, since he had the opportunity at the door, he has taken extreme measures.

Why did he want to punish you? You have conflicted?

I have no relationship with him or politics. I'm an artist. If I like something the politics make, I appreciate it, and if I don't like it, I also say it, I'm neither left nor right. But there's something, I thought Shkodra needed change. It's been 27 years since it's right and it's done nothing for them. Seeing the tourism level is miserable, tourists have no fun. The municipality sets fines according to its interests and nothing changes. The municipality continues to receive taxes without giving anything in return. Even the cops they send pick them up from the beach around here making threats. So this thought of me Voltana knows because I've been opposing her and probably thinking of using her, getting revenge because she's got the chance.

Did you get signals today, how do you proceed in the evening?

I'm singing today. Let's come do whatever they want. I'll film everything and sing. They have no right to do anything.

What happens to other locals with live music? Have you seen them?

I saw them and I recorded them. Besides being a completely different level, no family environments, but with loud music and another type of music, they continue to remain open until later without interrupting. Let them come to make the comparison between us and them and tell us.

Why did you choose Velipoja to sing when you have so many complaints?

I didn't choose with the idea of doing business. I came here with my family to rest and since it was also the opportunity to serve somewhere, because these were circumstances, friendly, I started singing at night. Despite the gloom of the evenings in this land, however, you are not allowed to change something.