Student protests turned into clashes - Edi Rama does not intend to step down
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has rejected calls for his resignation amid protests that have been ongoing for six days. According to AFP, 272 people, including 169 police officers, have been injured during the week-long protests.
Student protests turned into clashes — Edi Rama does not intend to resign
Police used water cannons and tear gas against participants.
One of the protest centers was in front of the Ministry of Education building. After the crowd there was dispersed, the demonstrators moved to other areas of the city center, and the clashes continued for several hours.
According to AFP, some participants threw stones, bottles containing flammable mixtures, and pyrotechnics, and set trash cans on fire. The windows of the ruling party headquarters were broken, and the entrances to a police station and the Ministry of Internal Affairs building were set on fire.
On October 18 alone, 28 people were injured. 19 of them were police officers.
On that day, Edi Rama made a detailed video address to the public regarding the demonstrations. In his speech, which lasted one hour and 14 minutes, he stated that he would not step down from his post and claimed that "external forces" were behind the actions. The Prime Minister mentioned Russia and Iran.
According to Rama, the students among the demonstrators came under the influence of a small group of 200–300 masked individuals who were unrelated to them. He accused these individuals of attempting to cause unrest.
Due to the situation, Rama's trip to Vienna scheduled for October 19 and negotiations with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker were canceled.
The demonstrations began on October 13 in Tirana. Initially, the participants demanded the resolution of problems in universities, including high tuition fees and corruption.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia rejected the allegations of interference. Official representative of the ministry Maria Zakharova stated that Albanian citizens had taken to the streets and urged Rama not to shift responsibility for internal problems onto others.
The Russian Embassy in Tirana did not comment directly on the demonstrations, but urged its citizens to be cautious and to stay away from crowded places.