Tirana clashes between police and protesters demanding Edi Rama's resignation

Clashes return to the streets of Tirana

Violent clashes broke out in the Albanian capital on Saturday, 24 October, between police and demonstrators demanding that Prime Minister Edi Rama step down. Student groups and the centre-right opposition, led by Sali Berisha, held separate protests on the same day. The Democratic Party had called a rally in front of the prime minister's office for 11 in the morning, while a youth mobilization gathered at 2 in the afternoon and turned into confrontations with officers.

Protesters threw stones, and police answered with water cannons and tear gas. The crowd first gathered in front of the Ministry of Education, then moved to the Government Palace before scattering into the downtown streets, where it left burning rubbish bins behind. Police took control of the city's main boulevard as the disorder spread.

Earlier, during three days of relative calm from 21 to 23 October, Rama had placed chairs and concrete blocks outside the government seat bearing the word 'dialogue'. Young protesters destroyed the chairs, arguing that the prime minister only wants to hold on to power. The demonstrations returned to the streets on Saturday.

Protests spread across Europe

Demonstrations on the same day also took place in several other European countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, France and Albania. In Paris, police had detained at least 130 people, and the authorities closed 24 metro stations to limit crowds. Public transport was suspended in Marseille. Police searched 150 homes in Milan on suspicion that people living there were linked to inciting violence during the protests, and at least 50 minors were reported among them. Large gatherings were expected in the afternoon in Rome, Bologna and Naples.

Origins of the movement

Gresa Hasa, a researcher at the University of Graz who specialises in the Balkans, argues that the unrest should not be read as a sudden outburst of anger. She describes it as a continuation of peaceful protests that began in late May, a movement known as the Flamingo Revolution. It started after the government planned to sell land in a nature reserve that protects several bird species, a project local press linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump. Hasa says the government was very reluctant to use force while international journalists were covering the protests, and that police violence resumed in late July and August after they left.

An earlier round of clashes in mid-October injured more than two dozen students and led to 20 detentions. The following week, protesters set fire to several public buildings, including the ministries of Education and Finance and the Court of Appeal.

Government and opposition positions

Edi Rama has refused to resign and blames the conflict with students on disinformation networks originating in Russia and Iran, as well as on far-left groups. Protesters accuse the Democratic Party, the main opposition force led by Sali Berisha, of complicity in what they call a mafioso system. The party has backed the student protest and called its own rally at the prime minister's office on Saturday. Bloomberg reported that police also used rubber bullets against the crowd. Protesters continue to demand Rama's resignation.