Albania’s Capital Rocked by Chaotic Weekend of Street Unrest

Anti-government protest in Tirana on October 18, 2026. Photo: BIRN/Xhemali Moku. The streets were filled with tear gas fumes, flames from Molotov cocktails and blasts from water cannons as thousands of protesters clashed with police yet again in central Tirana over the weekend. In the sixth consecutive day of unrest at student-led protests against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government on Sunday, demonstrators focused their anger on government premises and targeted governing party and opposition headquarters. Protesters chanted “Rama resign!”, “Revolution” and “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison” – a reference to opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha. A police station in Tirana was set on fire by a group of people in masks, police said. State Police director Skender Hita said that ten police officers sustained injuries as a result. “Attacking police officers with Molotov cocktails and other dangerous items constitutes serious violence, which is punishable by law and cannot be justified under any circumstances,” Hita said. Rama said on Monday said that his government was “ready to talk with anyone but we don’t negotiate with those who commit violence”. “A red line has been crossed with the attack on the police station. Two hundred and ninety-five people have been injured and this is a very large number,” he said in a televised meeting with police chiefs. Claims have been made that police officers have used excessive force but Rama gave them his unequivocal backing. The protesters have no public spokesperson and have issued no collective statements since the violence first erupted last week. Their central demand is the resignation of Rama’s government. Tear gas, water cannons, petrol bombs and stones Anti-government protest in Tirana on October 18, 2026. Photo: BIRN/Xhemali Moku. Before the protest began on Sunday, Rama delivered a lengthy public address in which he rejected calls for his resignation and accused the opposition, extremist groups and foreign powers Russia and Iran of inciting unrest to destabilise Albania, although he did not provide evidence to support these claims. He also stated that, two days earlier, authorities had neutralised a drone equipped with explosives, which he alleged was intended to strike the prime minister’s office. He framed the escalation of the protests as a threat to Albania’s European integration process, insisting that it is not his own grip on power that is being challenged, but rather his goal of joining the European Union by 2030. He vowed that the state will not back down in the face of violence. “Whoever wants to talk, I am here. Whoever wants to send messages using stones and masks will find the state standing against them,” he declared. Despite his warnings, demonstrators gathered around 12.30 p.m. in front of the Ministry of Education, where the rally began peacefully, with protesters chanting “Your end is edging closer!” and “Rama, resign!” Soon afterwards, some young protesters started pulling up paving stones and throwing them at the ministry building. During the unrest, a journalist was hit by a stone and taken away in an ambulance for medical treatment. Police intervened with tear gas and water cannon to try to disperse the crowd as protesters marched towards the city centre and the headquarters of Rama’s governing Socialist Party. Some attacked the main door of the Socialist headquarters with stones and other objects, breaking its windows. Several masked people emerged from the building, holding wooden sticks similar to shovel handles, and confronted the protesters. The identity of these individuals and their connection to the Socialist Party remains unknown so far. Tensions also ran high on Sunday evening as clashes erupted in front of the opposition Democratic Party building when police pushed past security barriers in an attempt to arrest some protesters. Firing tear gas and water cannons, the police managed to temporarily disperse the protesters, but they soon reassembled and marched on the prime minister’s office. Eno Bozdo, a Democratic Party MP, described the scenes outside the party building as “unjustified violence”. “It is unprecedented for an opposition party to be attacked with tear gas and violent force [by police],” Bozdo said. On Sunday evening, a group of 141 Albanian university professors issued a joint statement condemning police violence against students during the protests and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Rama, calling on the public to join the anti-government protests. “We call on Prime Minister Rama to listen to the demands of the students and pave the way for peace in the country. We demand his resignation and the creation of a caretaker government,” the statement said.