Tirana protests enter sixth day as Albania’s Rama refuses to resign
Hundreds gathered outside the Education Ministry on October 18 as protesters pressed for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Police used water cannons and tear gas to hold back crowds.
Protests in Tirana, Albania, continued for a sixth consecutive day on Sunday, October 18, as hundreds gathered outside the Education Ministry to demand Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Rama ruled out stepping down, while police used water cannons and tear gas to hold back the crowd, according to AFP reporting carried by The Hindu and a separate Al Jazeera report.
The demonstrators chanted ‘Rama, resign’ outside the ministry. Their demands include better education, more jobs and action against alleged corruption, Al Jazeera reported. The protests began on Tuesday, October 13, according to AFP.
Police response and reported injuries
The two reports differ on whether police used rubber bullets on Sunday: Al Jazeera reported that they did, alongside water cannons and tear gas; AFP’s account described water cannons and tear gas during the standoff outside the ministry. Both reported that shops and institutions in central Tirana had secured their doors and windows with metal shutters. Al Jazeera said city workers removed paving stones to prevent protesters from using them.
Citing a Health Ministry report issued Sunday morning, both outlets said 65 people had been injured, including 37 police officers, and 12 had been hospitalised. The ministry put the total injured since Tuesday at 272, including 169 police officers. Those figures describe injuries reported by the ministry, rather than a count independently established by either outlet.
Rama’s response to the demands
In a video broadcast earlier on Sunday, Rama said he would not resign and characterised the protests as the work of an outside hand, AFP reported. Al Jazeera reported that he was willing to hear students’ justified demands and discuss education costs, but insisted that people responsible for property destruction should be held accountable.
Writer and activist Lura Elezi told AFP she was protesting for ‘a better life, rule of law and against crime and corruption’. Lindita Karadaku, a journalist with Albania’s TV Klan, told Al Jazeera that it was difficult to predict how long the unrest would last or how it would unfold.
The unrest has also affected the Education Ministry building during the continuing student protests in Tirana.
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Sources and context
- Albania protests continue for sixth straight day demanding Prime Minister’s resignationThe Hindu, carrying AFP reporting
- Tirana sees sixth day of violent protests as Albania’s PM refuses to resignAl Jazeera, by Muamer Tanovic; includes reporting from TV Klan journalist Lindita Karadaku
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.