Large-scale anti-government protests are continuing in Albania, accompanied by clashes with police, arson and mass arrests. On October 18 alone, 28 people were injured in the clashes, UNN reports, citing Euronews.
In the country’s capital, Tirana, demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, accusing the government of corruption and an inability to resolve social problems.
Details
Mass unrest in Albania began on October 13 amid students’ dissatisfaction with the conditions of study, the high cost of university education and corruption. The demonstrations later grew into large-scale anti-government protests demanding the prime minister’s resignation. On Sunday, October 18, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Education Ministry building in Tirana, chanting slogans calling for Rama’s resignation. After police attempts to disperse the crowd, hours-long clashes began in the city center.
Demonstrators threw stones, bottles filled with incendiary substances and pyrotechnics at law enforcement officers. In response, police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets. During the unrest, protesters set fire to a police station, damaged the entrance to the Interior Ministry, smashed windows in government buildings and the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party.
According to Albania’s Ministry of Health, 28 people were injured in the clashes on October 18, including 19 police officers, four protesters, four passersby and one journalist.
Despite the demonstrators’ demands, Prime Minister Edi Rama categorically refused to leave office. He said the mass unrest posed a threat not to his government but to the European future of Albania, which seeks to become a member of the European Union. The head of government also accused unnamed external forces of inciting the protests.
According to Reuters, law enforcement agencies have opened criminal proceedings against hundreds of participants in the unrest. At the same time, media outlets have already reported investigations into possible abuse of authority by individual police officers during the dispersal of the demonstrations.
Context
The current protests are a continuation of months of public discontent with the policies of the Albanian government. Earlier, demonstrations were held in the country against the construction of a large tourist complex in an environmentally protected coastal area. The project is linked to the business structures of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. Students and young people later joined the protest movement, beginning to demand education reform and action against unemployment and corruption.
The European Commission condemned the violence during the protests, while emphasizing the need to ensure citizens’ right to peaceful assembly and the proportionate use of force by law enforcement officers.
As of October 19, anti-government protests in Albania are continuing.