Albania: Police use rubber bullets for first time – 167 arrests in five days
On the fifth day of protests, the situation escalated outside the Education Ministry in Tirana. Seven police officers were suspended over alleged excessive force.
Symbolic image · Photo: Afiller329 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Protests against Edi Rama’s government intensified further on Saturday. Outside the Education Ministry in Tirana, demonstrators, including many high school and university students, threw stones at police officers. Police responded with tear gas, two water cannons and batons and, according to AFP, used rubber bullets for the first time since the protests began. Police chief Skender Hita confirmed their use “to a limited extent.” Protesters also threw incendiary devices and fireworks and set up burning barricades. In the port city of Durres, demonstrators damaged a post office, according to local media.
According to Hita, 167 people were arrested and 132 police officers injured over the five days of unrest. The Health Ministry reported nine demonstrators and four police officers treated on Saturday. Seven officers were suspended pending a review of allegations that they exceeded their authority. The students are demanding better education, lower fees and job prospects; the broader movement, which began as a protest against a luxury tourism project linked to Jared Kushner, is now calling for Rama’s resignation.
Rama, in office since 2013, has refused to resign. He visited damaged stores and pledged to listen to the students and protect their right to demonstrate, but called masked rioters criminals and accused the conservative opposition of inciting the violence. In a video message, he said his responsibility was “to protect our citizens, guarantee justice and move Albania forward.”