Albania protests enter 12th day as students clash with police, demand Rama's exit

Protests in Albania turned violent as opposition supporters and students marched into the streets of Albanian capital Tirana on Saturday, October 24. Demonstrators hurled stones at the Education Ministry building, smashing the windows. Police reportedly fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The clashes between protesters and law enforcement have become a routine occurrence in Albania since mid-October. The protests have now reached 12 consecutive days.

"We are here for one reason: we want to stay in our country and not have to dream of a life elsewhere," Rosela Mira, a first-year medical student, told AFP. "I want to have a future here."

According to AFP, more than 1.5 million people have abandoned the Balkan nation since the fall of Communism in the 1990s. The population now stands at 2.3 million. The average salary before tax is 930 euros ($1,026) per month.

Also Read: Could you survive 3 days without power? UK tells households to prepare now

"There is a lot of anger," said activist Sidorela Vatnikaj, labelling the movement a "revolution". "It's not only a matter of students. It's not only a matter of environmental struggles ... It's a matter of the state of rights and state of law," she told AFP.

The scope of the protests broadened in Albania on Friday. For the first time, university professors, high school teachers, doctors, artists, and prominent trade unions officially joined the students on the streets.

Supporters of the opposition Democratic Party gathered outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office. In a symbolic act of defiance, they set fire to the decorative outdoor seat cushions that Rama had recently placed there as a visual invitation for a dialogue with the students.

The current wave grew out of months of protest over a luxury resort planned along Albania's southern coast, a project tied to Jared Kushner. Students have complained for months about the high cost of education and their limited employment prospects after graduation. Rama won a fourth term last May but has since faced public anger over corruption allegations involving senior officials.

The movement has parallels with 2018, when student protests that shook Albania in December 2018 began over rising education costs and forced Rama to dismiss eight ministers. Rama has blamed unspecified foreign interests for the current unrest, while the protesters' central demand remains his resignation.