The French news agency (AFP) has dedicated an article to Saturday’s protest in Tirana, where citizens took to the streets again against the government, amid tensions and violent clashes with police officers.
AFP reports that protesters threw stones and fireworks, while law enforcement used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
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In the article, AFP highlights that the protests, initially launched against the luxury resort project in Zvërnec, have turned into a broader movement against corruption and the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“Anger over the resort development has turned into a broader push against corruption, amid ongoing demands that Prime Minister Edi Rama resign,” the article states.
Protesters are calling for Rama’s resignation, but they also level accusations against opposition leader Sali Berisha.
“Demonstrators have distanced themselves from any political party and regularly carry banners accusing both Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha of corruption,” the article continues.
Full article:
Thousands gathered in Tirana on Saturday for a new anti-government rally after days of violent unrest in Albania’s capital, with police using tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Since mid-October, protesters and police have clashed regularly in Tirana at anti-government demonstrations that turned into rallies against a development linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.
Several government buildings have been attacked, dozens of demonstrators have been detained, and more than 300 protesters and police officers have been injured, authorities said.
On Saturday, police fired rubber bullets, while some protesters used fireworks against security forces.
“There is a lot of anger,” said activist Sidorela Vatnikaj, labeling the movement a “revolution.”
“It is not just a student issue,” she told AFP.
“It is not just a matter of environmental battles… It is a matter of the state of rights and the rule of law.”
The health ministry said 13 people were injured in Saturday’s demonstrations, including nine demonstrators, two journalists, and three police officers. Organizers called for new protests on Sunday starting at 12:00 GMT.
Thousands heeded organizers’ calls for students and others across Albania to take part in Saturday’s rally. Groups representing university professors, artists, and opposition parties had declared their support.
Many shops were closed ahead of the protests, some of which displayed banners on their storefronts, such as: “Do not touch. We are with you.”
Shortly after the rally began outside the education ministry, a central gathering point for protests, a group of demonstrators threw stones at the building, many of whose windows had been broken in previous days, according to an AFP journalist.
Police immediately responded with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.
“We are here for one reason: we want to stay in our country and not dream of a life somewhere else,” Rosela Mira, a first-year medical student, told AFP.
“I want to have a future here.”
Her sister, a high school student standing nearby, described deteriorating learning conditions, with 40 students per class and a lack of facilities such as laboratories at her school.
More than 1.5 million people have left the Balkan country since the fall of communism in the 1990s.
The population now stands at 2.3 million.
The average pre-tax salary is 930 euros ($1,026) per month.
“We have to work multiple jobs… to help our parents, who receive small pensions,” said Fabiola Nikaj, a third-year law student at the university.
“No violence,” “Transparency,” and “Democracy at risk” read some of the banners held by high school teachers and university professors.
Albania ranks 91st among 182 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index of the watchdog organization Transparency International.
Anti-government protests began in May, fueled by a luxury hotel project linked to the family of US President Donald Trump, which scientists said in July had caused irreparable damage to a once-untouched stretch of Albania’s coastline.
Anger over the resort development has turned into a broader push against corruption, amid ongoing demands that Prime Minister Edi Rama resign.
Rama has blamed “foreign actors” for the violence and has accused both Russia and Iran of spreading disinformation online.
The socialist prime minister has also called for “dialogue.”
But the red cushions placed on the ground around an improvised concrete table outside the government headquarters on Saturday, a symbolic gesture for dialogue, remained empty and were later burned by hundreds of protesters.
Demonstrators have distanced themselves from any political party and regularly carry banners accusing both Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha of corruption.
“Rama to prison” and “Berisha to prison” they chanted on Saturday, blaming the entire political class for the crisis.
The prime minister had earlier published photos of about 40 people, identified by their initials, whom he accused of violence, and reiterated his call for the heads of dozens of public institutions to resign.
