Albanian PM Blames Opposition After Another Night of Violent Clashes

Albanian students protesting on October 14, 2026. Photo: LSA. Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday accused the opposition of organising student protests that have seen violence erupt on the streets of Tirana for two consecutive days. Visiting the office of the College of Europe postgraduate institute, which was damaged by fire in the violence on Wednesday, Rama said: “Students are always welcome, and we are always ready to sit down with them to talk, discuss and find solutions to matters that require resolution. “These, however, are different hands,” he continued. “These are the hands that seek to pull Albania down whenever it tries to rise.” On Wednesday, the first floor of the Education Ministry was set on fire, while the Prime Minister’s office, the parliament, the Constitutional Court, the Finance and Interior ministries, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and several surrounding businesses were also attacked. Clashes continued until midnight as protesters, some of them masked and throwing stones and petrol bombs, faced off against police who deployed tear gas and water cannons. Police cars and a police station also came under attack. The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that 79 people received medical treatment at Tirana’s Trauma Hospital, including 61 were police officers and 18 protesters. Ten other people were receiving treatment at Mother Teresa Hospital. The clashes led to the cancellation of a parliamentary session scheduled for Thursday. On Thursday morning, students marched towards parliament as the protests looked set to continue. Interior Minister Ervin Dema on Wednesday accused the opposition and “foreign actors” of inciting the violent clashes, claiming that student discontent had been exploited to destabilise the country. “Today, all of Albania saw that, in the name of the students, the oldest political element in this country … spoke the language of destruction, flames, and the ransacking of public and private property,” Dema said. The student demonstrations began outside the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, calling for the government’s resignation, better university conditions and highlighted the high cost of living. The students were initially called to the streets by the so-called “Flamingo Revolution” protesters. Their daily protests started in June as environmental demonstrations but evolved into an anti-government movement.