Nearly 300 injured as Albanian student protests against Prime Minister Rama intensify
On 20 October, violent clashes in Tirana left nearly 300 people injured as student demonstrators continued to demand Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation, BBC reported. Official figures showed 295 injuries, the majority among police officers. The unrest began on 12 October when students threw bricks at the Education Ministry, prompting police to fire tear gas and water cannons, Al Jazeera reported.
A fire broke out at the ministry the next day, BBC said, and protesters also damaged other government buildings. Prime Minister Rama rejected calls to step down, NBC News reported, and later accused unnamed foreign actors of fueling the demonstrations, Euronews and Al Jazeera noted. The protests spread to several Albanian cities, with police using rubber bullets and making dozens of arrests, Reuters noted, and a 25-year-old MP, Marjana Koceku, joined the demonstrators, Reuters added.
