Pristina/Belgrade, Oct 15. (dpa/GNA) – Violent student protests against poor university conditions and the government spread across Albania on Thursday, marking a third consecutive day of unrest.
Following initial clashes between police and demonstrators in the capital Tirana, the unrest spread to three further cities.
Parliament postponed a session until next week due to the demonstrations, while Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed the chaos on the opposition, accusing it of trying to derail Albania’s EU accession bid.
The opposition was attempting to drag Albania back into the abyss using “fire and iron,” the Socialist leader said, according to local media. He described EU accession as “the dream of all Albanians across generations.”
Police Chief Skënder Hita said the violence was not being instigated by students. Of the numerous demonstrators detained in recent days, “only very few were students,” he said. He blamed other individuals from Albania and abroad, without providing further details.
Media reports said more than 100 suspected rioters had been detained over the past two days, but Hita gave no figures. He said 71 police officers had been injured, some seriously, compared with earlier media reports of nearly 100 injured officers.
In the capital Tirana, police used tear gas as demonstrators once again attempted to breach the Education Ministry, after lighting a fire there the day before. Other government offices have also been attacked. In the city of Korça, protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at schools, according to media reports. Further demonstrations took place in Durrës and Lushnja.
Nearly 100 police officers were injured and more than 100 suspected rioters arrested in Tirana over the previous two days. Students are protesting against poor study conditions, high education costs and a lack of career prospects. They are also demanding the resignation of Rama, who has governed Albania since 2013. Rama has rejected calls for his resignation.
Public anger with Rama has been mounting for months, including over a government-backed luxury real-estate project in a protected Adriatic coastal reserve linked to Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Daily demonstrations against the project have become known as the “Flamingo Revolution,” a reference to birds inhabiting the reserve.
Albania is now at an advanced stage in its negotiations for EU accession. At the same time, many of its citizens perceive the political elites as greedy, corrupt and incompetent.
GNA