Albania Erupts: Police Deploy Rubber Bullets as Anti-Government Protests Intensify

Tirana, Albania – Police in riot gear have fired rubber bullets at anti-government protesters in the capital, Tirana, as violent clashes escalate over demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. The confrontations, now in their fifth consecutive day, saw high school and university students join a broader movement against Rama and his centre-left Socialist Party, which has been in power since 2013. The unrest reflects growing anger over education, unemployment, and alleged corruption, escalating into a wider confrontation with the government.

Demonstrators hurled stones, petrol bombs, and fireworks at police near Rama’s office and other central Tirana locations, igniting cars and rubbish bins to create burning barricades. Police responded with tear gas, water cannon, and baton charges as protesters pushed against security lines. The AFP news agency reported that officers used rubber bullets for the first time since the demonstrations began. National police chief Skender Hita confirmed their use, stating they were deployed “in a limited manner.”

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reported that nine protesters and four police officers required medical attention on Saturday. Hita also announced 167 arrests over the five days of unrest and confirmed 132 officers were injured. Seven police officers are currently suspended pending investigations into allegations of exceeding their authority.

Prime Minister Rama, serving his fourth term and refusing to step down, visited businesses damaged during the unrest on Saturday. He pledged to listen to students and uphold their right to demonstrate, while cautioning against further destruction. Rama also accused his conservative political opponents of inciting the violence.

Students have voiced grievances concerning expensive university fees, inadequate educational facilities, and limited job prospects, alongside accusations of government corruption. In a symbolic gesture on Saturday, protesters set fire to a suitcase and threw it into the Ministry of Education’s courtyard, signifying their resolve not to seek better opportunities abroad. “We are demanding our rights, our future and a better country,” journalism student Sinan Billa told AFP.

The student demonstrations have amplified months of antigovernment rallies initiated by the Flamingo movement, which initially opposed a luxury tourism development on Albania’s southern coast, linked to an investment company founded by Jared Kushner. The movement has since broadened its demands to include Rama’s resignation amid corruption allegations against his administration.

The unrest has extended beyond Tirana, with local media reporting that protesters in the coastal city of Durres damaged a post office and erected burning barricades to block roads, indicating a widening of the confrontations.