- BIST10011,722-2.89%
- USD49.45+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.37%
- GOLD4,181.10+0.26%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN81,398+0.02%
- October 18, 20268°
- BIST10011,722-2.89%
- USD49.45+0.05%
- EUR55.62+0.37%
- GOLD4,181.10+0.26%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN81,398+0.02%
- October 18, 20268°
Albania’s student revolt escalates as Tirana police fire rubber bullets
Albania’s student-led protests, which grew alongside a campaign against a Jared Kushner-linked luxury resort, escalated on their fifth day as police in Tirana fired rubber bullets for the first time.
Ally Daily Editorial DeskUpdated:
A student-led uprising against Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama escalated on Saturday, its fifth day, as police in the capital, Tirana, fired rubber bullets at protesters for the first time. Demonstrators hurled stones, petrol bombs and fireworks near Rama’s office, and a car was set ablaze nearby.
The student protests have merged with months of rallies by the “Flamingo” movement, which formed to oppose a luxury tourism project on Albania’s unspoiled southern coast linked to a company founded by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The movement now also demands Rama’s resignation over corruption allegations.
Day five: barricades and rubber bullets
Thousands of young people gathered outside the Education Ministry in central Tirana on Saturday, setting cars and rubbish bins on fire to build burning barricades. Students tossed a flaming suitcase into the ministry courtyard, a symbol, they said, of their refusal to emigrate in search of a better future.
National police chief Skender Hita confirmed rubber bullets had been used “in a limited manner.” He said 167 people had been detained and 132 officers injured over five days. The Health Ministry said nine protesters and four officers were treated on Saturday, and seven officers were suspended pending investigations into whether they exceeded their authority.
The unrest has spread beyond the capital. In the port city of Durrës, protesters damaged a post office and blocked roads with burning barricades, and demonstrations reached universities in Elbasan and Shkodër.
A week of fire in Tirana
The current wave of unrest erupted on Tuesday, Oct. 13, outside the Education Ministry. Students cite unaffordable fees, run-down universities, scarce jobs and government corruption. They had protested peacefully for nearly three months before the escalation, but their demands were “largely ignored,” said Afrim Krasniqi of Tirana’s Institute for Political Studies.
Protesters have since torched the prime minister’s office, ministry buildings and bank branches. One video shows demonstrators storming the Economy Ministry and trashing its offices.
Another shows a lone riot officer standing still, hands behind his back, as fires burn across the road and flares explode above him.
In another clip, a protester raises both arms before a building engulfed in flames.
Several official buildings were badly damaged and at least one set on fire as the violence stretched into a second night early in the week.
Rama: “Elections, not a revolution”
Rama, who has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term last year, has refused to step down. “Last year, we had elections, not a revolution,” he told Reuters. He has blamed the violence on “the most irrational hatred” and on “foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace.”
On Saturday, Rama struck a softer tone, saying his government respects the students and will protect their right to protest, while accusing the conservative opposition of stoking the violence. In December 2018, student protests over education costs forced him to fire eight ministers and launch a “Pact for the University.”
Part of a European wave
Albania’s unrest is part of a wider wave of student activism across Europe. In France, weeks of high school protests over teacher shortages and crumbling schools merged with cost-of-living demonstrations on Saturday; the French education ministry says nearly 10% of teaching hours in state high schools go unstaffed. In Italy, protesters threw flares at the Education Ministry, and police in Turin used tear gas and water cannon on students who had occupied schools. Clashes also erupted in Milan and Brussels on Saturday.
Albanian journalist Arlis Alikaj called the unrest in his country “the boiling point of months of suppressed grievances,” with young people demanding systemic change while opposition groups seek political gain.
Stay Updated with Ally Daily
Subscribe to be informed about special news, developments and announcements. We will keep you informed.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
