From universities to the streets of the capital, the protest in Albania is taking on wider dimensions. Young and old alike are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, while students denounce corruption, difficult conditions at universities, and the lack of prospects for the future.
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“We are protesting violently, because we have nothing left to lose. They must listen to us.”
This is how one of the young people interviewed by journalist Marzia Baldari describes the situation in Tirana, in a report published by the Italian media outlet Il Fatto Quotidiano, which brings testimony from the protests against the government and Prime Minister Edi Rama.
According to the report, the capital has been gripped by violent clashes, with garbage bins set on fire, shop windows smashed, and confrontations between protesters and police.
The smoke of the fires was joined by that of tear gas, while the situation in the city center is described as chaotic. The article also states that the building of the Ministry of Education has been badly damaged.
The Italian journalist links the escalation of the protests to what she describes as a movement led by Albanian students, who have taken to the streets to demand change and accountability from the government.
Students: We are not protesting only for education, but for everything
In Skanderbeg Square, the journalist meets Marilisa, 26 years old, a law student, who is wearing a mask to protect herself from tear gas. Behind her, according to the description in the report, a group of young people had just burned a bench.
“All of this is necessary. We have been protesting peacefully for five months, but nothing has changed,” she says.
The same concern is shared by Silvana, a business informatics student, who stresses that the students’ grievances go beyond the education system.
“We are not protesting only about the education system, but about everything. Corruption is everywhere: in schools, in hospitals,” she says.
According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, the protests in Albania began in May, in opposition to Jared Kushner’s project on Sazan Island, but later turned into protests against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“Edi Rama, resign!” is the chant that, according to the journalist, is constantly heard from the Albanian protesters.
The report also highlights that, at a time when youth protests are taking place in various European countries, Albanian students have also taken to the streets to demand better conditions in schools and dormitories.
“You only find work if you pay someone”
But the students’ demands are not limited to study conditions. They raise concerns about the lack of equipment at universities, high rent costs, and the difficulty of finding work after graduation.
“Our universities lack equipment, rents are extremely high, and our diplomas are worth nothing. You only find work if you pay someone,” Silvana tells the Italian media outlet.
The students say that so far they have not been heard by the institutions and that their demands have been met with indifference. According to them, the escalation of the protests is a way to draw attention and to get answers from the authorities.
However, they emphasize that their goal is not to leave Albania, but to build their future here.
“We don’t want to leave our country. We want to study here and have a better future here,” the student says.
Meanwhile, Kristal, 23 years old, also a student, blames the government for the situation in the country.
“The cause of everything is the government. It is selling the country. Instead of progressing, Albania is sinking deeper and deeper into poverty,” she says.
The elderly are also protesting: There has never been real democracy here
It is not only young people on the streets of Tirana. According to the report, older citizens have also joined the protest, expressing their dissatisfaction with politics and with how the country has been governed over the years.
Bujare, 70 years old, holds a banner denouncing 35 years of destruction and corruption.
“There has never been real democracy here. There has only been the continuity of the old dictatorship, because the children of the former communists were still in power,” she tells the journalist.
Asked whether she supports the violence and destruction caused by the young people, the 70-year-old replies that, in her view, the country is run by corrupt politicians and that the protests held over the past months have not brought the desired change.
“We have been protesting for months and they are not leaving. We have reached this point, we must act this way,” she says.
However, in the end, Bujare emphasizes that citizens do not want bloodshed or killing, but the removal of the politicians who, according to her, are responsible for the situation.
“We don’t want bloodshed or killing. We want only one thing: for these politicians to leave,” she concludes.
The Il Fatto Quotidiano report thus brings the voices of students and citizens expressing dissatisfaction with corruption, economic conditions, and the lack of trust in institutions, presenting the protest as a movement that goes beyond educational demands and touches on broader concerns about the country’s future.
The Il Fatto Quotidiano article: Albania, Tirana brucia e gli studenti sfidano Rama: “Più nulla da perdere, la corruzione è ovunque” – il videoreportage
