“13 YEARS OF CORRUPTION”: ALBANIAN STUDENTS RISE UP AGAINST PRIME MINISTER RAMA

Thousands of young Albanians gathered outside the Education Ministry in central Tirana on Saturday for the fifth consecutive day of a growing student-led movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

As the Albanian protesters clash with the police, it has escalated into violent confrontation with masked demonstrators hurling rocks at riot police, who responded with stun grenades, tear gas, water cannons, and for the first time, rubber bullets .

THE ESCALATION

The protest turned violent when a group of young people wearing masks began throwing stones and petrol bombs at police, who fired long guns into the crowd outside the Education Ministry .

Reuters video footage showed police firing what appeared to be rubber bullets, and Reuters journalists later found rubber bullets on the ground. Two Reuters journalists and several protesters were struck, leaving round marks on their bodies.

Albania’s police chief, Skënder Hita, did not deny the use of rubber bullets when asked at a press conference on Saturday.

“All the tools that have been used have been used in a limited way, including those used recently,” he said .

Hita announced that seven police officers had been suspended and were facing disciplinary investigations for “exceeding their authority” and “failing to respect the principle of proportionality” in their treatment of protesters .

By Saturday, police reported that 1,067 people had been arrested and 388 criminally prosecuted, while dozens of police officers and protesters were injured .

Other police figures indicated that 500 protesters had been detained, 330 of whom were released, while approximately 120 police officers and 45 protesters were registered as injured, though many protester injuries likely went unrecorded.

THE ROOTS OF THE UNREST

The demonstrations did not begin as a spontaneous eruption. They are the culmination of months of growing anger in Albania, initially sparked in late May by a government-approved plan to build a luxury resort on the country’s pristine southern coastline — a project backed by investors including Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump .

Villagers told Reuters in July that their land had been wrongfully sold for the development.

Reuters later reported that the man who sold the land was wanted by prosecutors on suspicion of drug trafficking, accusations his lawyer denied.

Reuters found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, who is not directly involved in the villagers’ dispute.

That environmental and land rights dispute, symbolized by the flamingos of the Narta Lagoon, evolved into a broader anti-government movement.

Students joined, demanding better university conditions, lower tuition fees, and greater support for young people.

By the time the protests reached their fifth day, the demands had crystallized into a single, unambiguous call: Edi Rama must go.

THE STUDENT MOVEMENT

On Saturday, several thousand young Albanians gathered in front of the Education Ministry, many of them high school and university students .

They carried no party flags. They chanted no sectarian slogans.

Their message was directed at a prime minister who has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term last year.

“It’s been 13 years of corruption and 13 years of doing nothing, with empty promises,” said Juri Taullahu, a 22-year-old medical student.

“So, the cup is full and we are here for our rights”. Ledia, an 18-year-old high school student who asked to be identified only by her first name, told AFP: “We are not criminals. We simply want a better life for our parents and ourselves. We don’t want to leave Albania” .

Another student, Sinan Billa, said the protest was “a reaction expressing dissatisfaction with our government’s silence.” He added: “We are not asking for privileges. We are demanding our rights, our future, and a better country” .

RAMA’S RESPONSE

Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to resign. In a video message posted on Facebook, he accused “foreign hands” of fueling the unrest and attempting to obstruct Albania’s bid to join the European Union .

He also claimed the protests were an attempt by conservative opponents to seize power through violence.

“My responsibility is even clearer during these difficult times… to protect our citizens, guarantee justice, and move Albania forward — together with this governing majority, which holds a very clear mandate: to see Albania in the European Union by 2030,” Rama said on Saturday.

But he also adopted a harder line against masked demonstrators, warning that authorities would work to identify those concealing their identities while attacking police or damaging property. “The circle will tighten around those with masks,” he said .

Yet he maintained a distinction between peaceful protest and violence: “Whoever wants to talk to me without masks, I am here. Whoever sends a message with stones and masks, you face me and the state” .

THE DESTRUCTION

The unrest has left parts of central Tirana scarred. Protesters smashed windows, set government buildings and banks on fire, and clashed with police throughout the week .

On Saturday, thick black smoke rose from the Education Ministry after flares were thrown inside. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the symbolism was unmistakable: the institutions of the state were under siege .

In the coastal city of Durrës, demonstrators smashed post office windows and blocked roads with burning barricades .

Protests also spread to Lezhë, Vlorë, Elbasan, and Shkodër, where students marched under slogans including “Albania of crime” and “Sold opposition”.

THE POLITICAL CONTEXT

The unrest is the most serious challenge to Rama’s authority in his 13 years in power .

Albania’s government has been dogged by corruption scandals, and analysts say the country has become a hub for criminal groups seeking to launder money from drug and arms trafficking — complicating its efforts to join the European Union .

Along with Montenegro, Albania is leading the EU accession process among Balkan countries . The violence threatens to derail that trajectory.

The European Union’s delegation in Tirana voiced concern over the “violent escalation” and said it took note of “allegations of excessive violence by the police against protestors and journalists.”

It called for a prompt investigation and encouraged “all sides to de-escalate the tension”.

The European Commission later stated that violence has no place in a democratic society, while insisting that the response of Albanian authorities must be proportionate .

WHY IT MATTERS

Albania is not Nigeria. Its politics, its institutions, and its relationship with the European Union are shaped by a different history and a different set of pressures.

But the scenes in Tirana — young people in the streets, police firing rubber bullets, government buildings in flames, resonate beyond the Balkans.

They are a reminder that the legitimacy of any government ultimately rests on whether its people believe it serves them.

Rama’s mandate is real. He won an election. He has a majority. But mandates do not immunize leaders from accountability.

And when a generation of young people feels that its future has been mortgaged to corruption, to land deals, to the interests of foreign investors, and to a political class that has grown comfortable in power, the streets become the only arena left for dissent.

The protests in Albania began with flamingos and a lagoon. They have become a referendum on 13 years of rule.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the unrest continues. The EU has called for de-escalation. The students have called for resignation. And Edi Rama, for now, has refused to bend.