Albanian police detained 500 as student protests over education and jobs continue in Tirana
Albanian police detained 500 protesters during mass student demonstrations in Tirana and later released 330 of them, according to reports on Oct. 17.
The detention figures, reported by Reuters, followed several days of protests over education and jobs in the capital.
Thousands of young Albanians marched through Tirana in anti-government protests on Friday, Oct. 16, according to Reuters. Some demonstrators broke windows and traffic lights during that march.
A day earlier, on Oct. 14, tens of thousands of students took to the streets of Tirana, setting alight banks and hurling stones at police, Reuters reported. On Oct. 13, protesters hurled bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry in Tirana and police fired tear gas, according to Reuters.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has insisted he will not resign amid the protests, according to Al Jazeera.
In communications published on the Albanian prime minister's official website, Rama said police used the same standards previously used to disperse violent protests in front of the prime minister's office. He also expressed respect for police officers and wished a quick recovery to those injured in what he described as a demonstration of blind violence.
