Seven days of unrest in Tirana

Demonstrations against Prime Minister Edi Rama have continued in the Albanian capital for seven days, with students, pupils, union members and activists in the streets demanding his resignation. The movement began as opposition to a luxury resort in an environmentally sensitive coastal area and widened into anger over corruption, shortcomings in higher education, the cost of studies and limited access to the job market. Protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails, smashed shop fronts and set fire to buildings, including a police station and the entrance to the Interior Ministry. Police answered with tear gas, water cannon, pepper spray and plastic bullets, and some reports mention the use of batons. The latest count reported on Monday, 19 October put the injured at 295, of whom 186 were police officers, while arrests have also risen. Another report citing the authorities gave about 300 injured, more than half of them officers.

All injured295

Of whom police officers186

All injured

295 people

Of whom police officers

186 people

Data from the article text

The attack on the 3rd Police Station

On Sunday evening, 18 October, hooded rioters threw Molotov cocktails, stones and other objects at the 3rd Police Station in Tirana, and ten officers inside were injured, according to Interior Minister Erwin Demo. Demo said the arson crossed a red line and accused the opposition Democratic Party of giving shelter to hooded rioters that evening. Footage broadcast by MEGA showed burning bins, smoke flares and fireworks, along with a man carrying the Albanian flag on his back and firing into the air, although the circumstances of that last incident have not been clarified. The sequence of the week's key moments is set out below.

Rama rejects resignation and announces police payments

Speaking to police officers on Monday, 19 October, Rama said the state would prevail over violence and that anyone who believes they can seize power through force will be disappointed. He pledged 2,500 euros to each front-line officer and a significant salary increase from 1 January, and praised the police for maximum restraint. He described the young people taking part as individuals with problems who need psychological support, and repeated his claim that foreign services are using them to destabilise Albania. Rama also warned that parents would have to pay for damage caused by minors, and that students who attack police should not receive state support for their studies. The same day he cancelled an official visit to Vienna, where he was due to meet Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.

Foreign interference claims and critics

Rama linked the protests to Russian and Iranian influence, saying that tens of thousands of fake profiles had been created on social media to pose as Albanians wanting to protect nature, and that these were not coincidences. Dutch MEP Tineke Strik told the Guardian that the government had failed to take the Flamingo Revolution seriously, the popular movement against construction of the resort, and accused Rama of inflaming the situation while pushing ahead with plans promoted by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Students say they will keep protesting until Rama steps down, a demand he has rejected outright.

Threat message and European reaction

On Monday, 19 October, a threatening electronic message reached the prime minister's office, ministries, courts and other state bodies, according to Albanian media. The message reportedly claimed that a series of planned terrorist attacks would be carried out and that explosive devices containing ammonium nitrate had been placed. The court and prosecutor's office in Fier were evacuated. A similar threat about two months earlier led to nothing. The European Commission condemned the use of violence in the protests, and students called for new demonstrations at midday in Tirana's central square, where a strong police presence with patrol cars and water cannon vehicles was deployed. Pupils at upper secondary schools in other Albanian cities skipped classes to demonstrate.