Albanian Protesters Clash With Police as Student Unrest Spreads

Albanian anti-government protesters clashed with police in Tirana on Oct. 17, extending a week of unrest that began with student demonstrations and has since spread beyond the capital. Reuters

On Oct. 16, thousands marched in Tirana as the protests widened, according to Reuters. The marches followed three days of confrontations between students and police in the city.

Thousands of students had brought the capital to a standstill earlier in the week, setting fires in the streets and barricading roads with wrought ironwork, according to The New York Times. Protesters hurled bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry, while police fired tear gas and water during the clashes, Reuters reported.

The students were protesting poor conditions in the education system, as well as education and jobs more broadly. Thousands of student-led protesters also accused officials of corruption, according to Reuters. Protesters and police clashed for a third consecutive day on Thursday.

Prime Minister Edi Rama condemned 'chaos' as the protests entered their third day and rejected calls to resign. His comments came as student protesters joined the Flamingo anti-government movement.

The unrest disrupted daily life beyond the streets. European football organizer UEFA moved a Europa Conference League game out of Tirana because of the protests.

The student demonstrations followed months of mostly peaceful demonstrations over plans to build a luxury resort on Albania's southern coastline. Those earlier protests kicked off on a Tuesday in support of demonstrations against a planned luxury development linked to Jared Kushner. In September, protests over the Kushner-linked resort had turned violent, with police blocking protesters from reaching parliament.