Albania: protests spread to more cities – Rama blames "foreign hands"
On the fourth day of student protests, thousands marched through Tirana, with protests also in Shkodra, Korça and Elbasan. After a night of rioting, police reported 160 detentions.
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In Albania, protests led by school and university students against Prime Minister Edi Rama widened on Friday. For the fourth day in a row, thousands of young people marched through the capital Tirana, some smashing windows and traffic lights, The Irish Times reported. On Thursday evening the situation in Tirana had already turned into rioting; police used tear gas and water cannon and said they detained 160 people. The protests also spread to Lezha, Elbasan, Shkodra and Korça.
Rama refuses to resign. "These are foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace," he said in a Facebook video, according to Euronews, without naming anyone; he also called for calm. "We will not bow to violence," he wrote, according to The Irish Times. The EU delegation in Albania had already called on Wednesday for a proportionate response and voiced concern over the violent escalation.
Protesters accuse the government of corruption and neglecting education and are demanding Rama's resignation. There is also criticism of a luxury coastal tourism project backed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. "We've been protesting peacefully for 140 days, and nothing was heard," a 19-year-old told The Irish Times. Rama's Socialists won a fourth consecutive election last year; the government aims to join the EU by 2028.