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Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called for calm on Friday, blaming unnamed “foreign hands” for the unrest as protesters demanded his resignation for a fourth consecutive day.
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“These are foreign hands that do not want Albania to be peaceful,” he said in a Facebook video.
“All this is the work of the same hand, the one that grabbed the Albanian opposition by the throat, the one that repeatedly burned and destroyed Albania.”
Thousands of young protesters took to the streets of the Albanian capital, also demanding education reforms, with some breaking windows and damaging traffic lights.
“The indifference and arrogance of the government since the beginning of our movement have been unbearable and have made the situation worse,” said the high school student, who asked to be identified only by her first name.
Protesters set trash cans on fire to block roads and threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
“We are not criminals. We just want a better life for our parents and for ourselves. We don’t want to leave Albania,” Ledia, 18, told AFP.
The protests, which began on Tuesday, have since spread beyond Tirana to other Albanian cities, with students boycotting classes amid growing anti-government unrest.
This week’s escalation comes after months of anti-government protests in the Balkan country, including demonstrations against a luxury tourism project linked to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, which has become a symbol of alleged corruption and inequality in Albania.
On Wednesday, the European Union delegation to Albania called on authorities for a proportionate response, expressing concern over the “violent escalation during the demonstration in Tirana.”
Rama’s Socialist Party scored a fourth consecutive electoral victory last year, with the next parliamentary elections not scheduled until 2029. His government aims for Albania’s membership in the European Union by 2028.
Additional sources • AFP
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