Thousands of students demand Rama’s resignation / France24: Protesters forced their way into government buildings as revolt spread to several cities

French news outlet France24 has reported on the mass student revolt, which has continued for three days in Tirana and spread to other cities today.

The foreign outlet reports that students have risen up against conditions at universities and high tuition fees, and are demanding Rama’s resignation.

The French outlet also notes that young people forced their way into several government buildings on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the protests spread to other cities on Thursday.

THE ARTICLE:

Thousands of demonstrators are demanding Rama’s resignation and more support for students, citing poor university conditions and high tuition fees.

On Thursday, the protests spread to several smaller cities as students joined a boycott of universities.

The escalation follows months of anti-government demonstrations in the country, initially sparked by a controversial development at a resort linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.

“We want real change, not empty promises. We want a government that works for its people, not against them,” journalism student Teftalia Papa told AFP.

“We want a better Albania, where healthcare provides the basic standards every citizen deserves, education offers good conditions and equal opportunities, and students can afford to study and live without being crushed by rising costs,” she said.

Protesters in Tirana forced their way into several government buildings on Tuesday and Wednesday and set fire to at least one of them.

As protests resumed on Thursday, police pushed back crowds trying to approach the education ministry and parliament, while demonstrators threw stones at officers, according to an AFP journalist.

Rama had earlier posted a video on his Facebook page showing him visiting the burned-out remains of an office on a college campus in Tirana.

“Until yesterday, this was the office of the College of Europe, the school of a united Europe,” he said in the video—his first public comments since the protests began.

“Today, this is the ruin left by hands that are not, and can never be, the hands of students,” Rama said, blaming opposition figures for the violence at the demonstrations.

“Everyone is accountable under the law, and everyone who had a hand in this chaos will certainly pay.”

‘Ruins’ and ‘chaos’

The prime minister was expected to meet his party’s parliamentary group early Thursday, as protest groups circulated an “ultimatum” demanding his resignation by 13:00 (11:00 GMT).

But even before the deadline expired, protesters had begun clashing with police, building makeshift barriers and setting rubbish bins on fire.

Images broadcast by local media also showed protesters confronting police in southern coastal cities, with reports of pupils in Korçë breaking school windows and blocking roads.

For more than four months, anti-government protests in Albania have regularly drawn thousands of people.

Spurred by a luxury hotel project linked to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, the protests became a symbol of alleged corruption and inequality in the country.

Protester and media analyst Altin Tufa said several factors had fuelled the demonstrations, but the alleged clearing of land for the project in a protected coastal area was “the final straw that unleashed people’s dissatisfaction and anger.”

“It is the indifference, arrogance and failure of the entire political class to listen to people’s concerns about economic, political, social and healthcare issues,” Tufa said as he marched with protesters.

The European Union delegation in Tirana strongly condemned Thursday’s “violent escalation.”

“We call on protesters to show restraint and refrain from any act of violence. Violence has no place in a democracy,” it said in a statement.

The EU had also previously called for a swift investigation into allegations of excessive police force.

Police said 65 people were arrested during Wednesday’s protests on suspicion of “attacking police officers, institutions, and public and private property.”

The health ministry said in a statement that hospitals in Tirana treated 89 people on Wednesday, including 61 police officers.

Four officers and two protesters remained in hospital, while one demonstrator and two officers were expected to undergo surgery.