Students in the Albanian capital, Tirana, threw a burning suitcase into the courtyard of the Education Ministry on Saturday, a message they said showed their refusal to leave the country in search of a better future. The act came on the fifth day of student-led protests demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
Thousands of young people gathered outside the ministry, built barricades from burning cars and rubbish bins and threw stones, petrol bombs and fireworks near the prime minister’s office. Police used rubber bullets for the first time since the protests began. National police chief Skender Hita confirmed they were used “in a limited manner,” saying 167 people had been detained and 132 officers injured over five days. Seven officers were removed from duty pending checks on whether they exceeded their authority.
Why are students angry?
The current wave of unrest began on Oct. 13 outside the Education Ministry. Students complain of university fees they cannot afford, run-down universities, scarce jobs and corruption allegations against the government. Afrim Krasniqi of the Institute for Political Studies in Tirana says nearly three months of peaceful protest escalated after the students’ demands were ignored. They have also joined the “Flamingo” movement, which has for months opposed a luxury resort on the southern coast linked to a company founded by Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law.
During the days of protest, the prime minister’s office, ministry buildings and bank branches were set on fire, and protesters entered the Economy Ministry and wrecked its offices.
From the second night, government buildings suffered heavy damage, and at least one was set ablaze.
Fiery nights in Tirana
One video shows a lone riot officer standing motionless with his hands behind his back as fires burn on the road and flares explode in the air.
In another, a protester stands with his arms raised in front of a building engulfed in flames.
Special police unit officers armed with long-barreled weapons also appeared on the streets at night.
The protests spread beyond the capital. In the coastal city of Durrës, protesters vandalized a post office and blocked roads with burning barricades, and actions reached universities in Elbasan and Shkodër. The Health Ministry said nine protesters and four officers received treatment on Saturday.
Rama, in power since 2013 and winner of a fourth term last year, rejects calls to resign. “Last year, we had elections, not a revolution,” he told Reuters. He blamed “foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace” and argued the violence was fed by “the most irrational hatred.”
In a calmer tone on Saturday, Rama said his government respects the students and will protect their right to protest. Visiting damaged shops, he accused the conservative opposition of encouraging the violence. Student protests in December 2018 forced Rama to dismiss eight ministers and launch a “Pact for the University.”
Echo of a European wave
Albania’s protests are part of a wave of student activism sweeping Europe. In France, protests by high school students demanding more teachers merged with cost-of-living demonstrations on Saturday; France’s 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 water cannon and tear gas on students occupying schools. Clashes also broke out in Milan and Brussels.
Albanian journalist Arlis Alikaj describes the events as “the boiling point of months of suppressed grievances,” with young people demanding radical change while the opposition tries to exploit the anger politically.
