Tens of thousands of students stormed the streets of Albania's capital Tirana on Wednesday, setting alight the Education Ministry building and two banks, as a student protest movement over education costs and corruption exploded into the most violent anti-government unrest the country has seen this year.
A city on fire
Overnight Tuesday, demonstrators broke into the Education Ministry and lit a fire inside the building, police said, leading to 16 arrests. By Wednesday, tens of thousands of students were hurling stones and petrol bombs at riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon. Protesters set garbage bins ablaze, smashed shop windows, ripped up street fencing to build barricades, and attacked the finance ministry — briefly entering the building. A Raiffeisen Bank branch near the education ministry also caught fire, Reuters witnesses reported.
The students' case
Student organizers say the protests are about deteriorating university conditions, rising tuition and education costs, a lack of financial support, and bleak job prospects after graduation. But the movement has widened far beyond campus grievances. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who won a fourth term last year but faces growing anger over perceived graft around top officials. "This is a revolution. We are tired of peaceful protests. We will not stop until Rama resigns," one student told Reuters.
The demonstrations have merged with the so-called "Flamingo Revolution" — four months of daily rallies that began against a proposed luxury resort on Albania's pristine southern coast linked to US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Besar Likmeta of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network told Al Jazeera the movement has spread into wider demands over corruption, transparency, and opportunities for young Albanians.
The government's response
Deputy Prime Minister Albana Kociu condemned the violence on Facebook: "Protesting is a legitimate right, but it cannot be used as an excuse for violence, city destruction or ugly fighting in the middle of the road." She urged students to "distance yourself from violence and vandalism." Police appealed for calm as tensions ran high, and a separate report said 23 people were detained overnight with six officers and a journalist injured in earlier clashes.
Neither side shows signs of backing down: student leaders vow to keep the pressure up until their demands are met, while the government frames the violence as beyond the bounds of legitimate protest.
The bottom line: what began as a campus dispute over fees has fused with Albania's anti-corruption movement — and Edi Rama now faces the most serious street challenge of his four terms in office.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Straits Times / Reuters, AP (via Ghanamma)