Thousands march in Albanian capital as anti-government protests spread
Students demand Rama’s resignation as clashes spread and police use tear gas, with 160 people detained over alleged violence, officials said.
- On Saturday, thousands of students rallied outside the Education Ministry in Tirana for a fifth consecutive day, facing riot police deploying water cannons and rubber bullets as demonstrations demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation escalated into violence.
- These demonstrations evolved from the 140-day 'Flamingo' movement, which initially opposed a luxury coastal resort development backed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, before broadening into grievances over corruption and poor university conditions.
- Police report 167 arrests and 132 officers injured during the unrest; health officials confirmed 25 people sustained minor injuries on Friday. Demonstrators set fires to government buildings, including the finance ministry, and erected burning barricades.
- Prime Minister Rama blamed "foreign hands" for the unrest, while National Police Chief Skender Hita confirmed rubber bullets were deployed and suspended seven officers pending investigations into allegations of "exceeding their authority" and violating proportionality principles.
- Unrest has spread to Durres and Korca, challenging Albania's goal of 2028 European Union membership. The European Union voiced concern over the "violent escalation at the protest in Tirana," urging all sides to de-escalate.
172 Articles
172 Articles
Violent protests in Albania enter fifth day
Credit: Edi Rama via Facebook Anti-government protests in Albania entered a fifth day on October 17, with clashes between demonstrators and police escalating in the capital Tirana as students joined calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
Protesters demand the resignation of the head of the Albanian government and denounce the teaching conditions and university fees.
By Jona Cenameri Shortly after 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 17, protesters began gathering again in front of the Ministry of Education in Tirana. It was the fifth day of violent protests that began on October 13. The crowd’s most repeated call and most articulate demand remained the one that had accompanied the protests since […]
A few hundred people, some masked, gathered on Saturday around noon in front of the Ministry of Education and protest actions then spread throughout the capital.
It is the fourth day of violent protests in the capital of Albania. Thousands of young people have again come out to the street to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, whom he accuses of corruption.
Riots in Tirana enter a fifth day as Albania’s anti-government protests escalate – WTOP News
Clashes broke out near the Albanian prime minister’s office in the capital, Tirana, on Saturday as anti-government riots entered a fifth day. Protesters hurled rocks, petrol bombs, flares and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges as clashes spread through the city center. The violence escalated after high school...
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