Albanian Prime Minister blames foreign meddling as student unrest grows amid police repression
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Prime Minister Edi Rama claimed outside forces were fueling the student-led protests in Tirana, while police escalated confrontations with water cannons and tear gas as the unrest spread to other cities.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Friday that "foreign hands" were behind the increasingly violent student protests calling for his resignation, a familiar deflection from a government under pressure. He also insisted that the demonstrations were not driven by legitimate grievances about living standards, dismissing the concerns of young people in the street.
Riot police clashed with demonstrators outside the education ministry for the fourth consecutive day, deploying water cannons and tear gas as protesters threw rocks. The unrest, which began with largely peaceful rallies over university conditions and corruption, has spread to Elbasan, Shkodra and Korçë, where participants broke windows and set rubbish bins on fire, according to local media.
Authorities reported that 160 people were detained on Thursday night for alleged violent acts. Demonstrators have also targeted banks and several government buildings, including the prime minister’s office, the finance and justice ministries, and branches of banks.
Rama rejected calls to step down, stating, "My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward." He warned that his dismissal would betray voters who gave him a mandate to pursue European Union membership negotiations, even as critics accuse his government of deepening frustration rather than resolving it.
The protests come after months of demonstrations sparked by the sale of a coastal area to a luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner. Analysts note that corruption scandals have complicated Albania’s EU accession efforts, with the country also identified as a hub for organized crime activities.