Thousands clash with riot police in Tirana, demanding educational improvements and accountability from PM Rama.
Demands for educational improvements, a lack of prospects after graduation and corruption allegations leveled against Albania’s government by thousands of young people converged on Thursday in clashes with riot police and acts of vandalism that continued to devastate businesses and street furniture in Tirana.
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Since about 20 people were detained on Tuesday during an attack on the Education Ministry, the protests have intensified, culminating in a fire at the building on Wednesday. Authorities have reported 70 police officers injured and said most of those arrested were not students.
Police Director Skënder Hita said very few of those arrested were students, a claim that contrasts with the fact that most demonstrators are teenagers, many of them of high school age, according to observations by news agency EFE. By midafternoon, Tirana’s Trauma Hospital had treated 26 people.
Police took a much tougher approach on Thursday. Thousands of young people who took to the streets failed in their attempts to reach the Education Ministry, Parliament, and the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama at night.
Riot police were deployed throughout the city, blocking students’ access with water cannons and tear gas. Many of the demonstrators were high school students who threw paving stones and fireworks.
The demonstrators did manage to set fire to the entrance of the Economy Ministry, which was damaged on Wednesday, even entered the building, vandalizing its furnishings.
Protests also took place in other cities, including Elbasan, Korce, Durres and Shkoder, where a senior police officer was in critical condition after being struck in the head by a stone.
Against Corruption
Rama has faced growing public mobilization since May. It all began as a protest against plans to sell land in a nature park for a tourism project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
From there, the Flamingo Revolution, named after the birds that inhabit the reserve, expanded to include demands for greater democracy and transparency.
“The students’ demands are a natural extension of the protest movement’s main concerns, particularly the fight against corruption, the rising cost of living, and the prime minister’s arrogance and lack of accountability,” said the Flamingo Revolution platform, which has no visible leader and has accused Rama of “selling the country” through real estate projects.
Beyond the actions of isolated violent groups, the radical protests by young Albanians reflect a sense of frustration that some media outlets have linked to similar discontent in other countries experiencing comparable demonstrations, such as France.
The Albanian prime minister has made clear that he will not resign and has blamed the violence on the conservative opposition, accusing it of trying to “bring Albania down every time it tries to move forward.”
Rama, who has been in power since 2013, saw his Socialist Party win the May 2025 election for the fourth consecutive time, securing an absolute majority. He told Reuters on Thursday that the victory gives him greater legitimacy than any protest.
Under his leadership, the country has advanced its bid to join the European Union, a goal it hopes to achieve by 2030. However, those advances have not lifted Albania from its status as one of Europe’s poorest countries.
“Our students will be the first Albanians to enter adulthood as Europeans,” said Roland, a taxi driver who maintains that the country has modernized under Rama’s leadership and accuses the opposition of trying to prevent that progress.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – Reuters
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