Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has pinned the growing violence at student-led demonstrations on “foreign hands”, even as protesters press him to step down. In a video address on Friday, he said the unrest was not the work of students alone, adding that there were “foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace”.
On the same day, riot police clashed with protesters outside the education ministry in the capital, Tirana, for the fourth consecutive day. Thousands of young people marched through the city to denounce government corruption and poor conditions at universities.
Police respond with water cannon and tear gas
Officers used water cannon and tear gas against demonstrators, who responded by throwing rocks. Rama rejected any link between the unrest and the hardships or legitimate hopes of people seeking a better life, insisting the protest had no connection to them.
The demonstrations have spread to Elbasan, Shkodra and Korca, where protesters smashed windows and set fire to rubbish bins, according to local media. The unrest has increasingly targeted banks and government buildings. On Tuesday, protesters threw bricks and concrete blocks at the education ministry, and several buildings in the capital were set alight, including the prime minister’s office, the finance and justice ministry buildings and branches of several banks.
Demands for resignation and reforms
The escalation follows months of mostly peaceful demonstrations, which were first triggered by the sale of part of Albania’s coastline to a luxury resort development linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Protesters want Rama to resign and are also calling for electoral and education reforms.
A police statement said 160 people were detained on Thursday evening over alleged acts of violence. Rama’s government denies corruption. The prime minister said he was ready to discuss rising education costs but refused to resign, saying, “My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward.”
He argued that his dismissal “would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership”. Corruption scandals have complicated Albania’s EU bid, and analysts say the country is a hub for gangs laundering money from drug and weapons trafficking. Rama won a fourth term last year on promises to bring Albania into the EU, with membership targeted as early as 2028.
