Albania protests turn violent as demonstrators demand PM Rama’s resignation

Albanian riot police deployed tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to break up demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, on Saturday after protesters threw stones at officers and set fire to the entrance of the Agriculture Ministry.

Student-led protests, driven by public anger over alleged government corruption, limited job opportunities and poor education standards, have spread across central Tirana and other cities this month.

Demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama have reportedly set fire to government buildings and banks, smashed shop windows and uprooted paving stones to hurl at police officers.

The unrest, which followed months of largely peaceful protests during the summer against a luxury coastal development backed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, represents a major challenge to Rama’s leadership. He has been in power since 2013 and secured a fourth term last year.

The protesters assembled outside the Education Ministry at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, throwing stones and rocks at the police before officers pushed them back, scattering the crowd to different parts of the city.

“Albanians have woken up,” said 28-year-old protester Daniel Tahiri, who described the government as a “dictatorship with the clothes of democracy.”

Another demonstrator, 29-year-old Orgeta Likaj, said the protesters wanted Rama to understand that Albanians no longer supported him because of corruption allegations and scandals.