In Tirana, anti-government protests involving students, which had been going on for several days, escalated into clashes with the police. According to the latest police figures, reported by Reuters on 17 October, 500 people were arrested, 330 of whom were subsequently released; around 120 police officers and 45 protesters were injured.
Briefly about the main points
- The police reported that 500 people had been arrested and dozens injured during the protests in Tirana.
- The AP has confirmed that at least four ministries were damaged and that water cannons were used.
- Mar’yana Kocheku, an independent MP, backed the protesters’ demands.
- Edi Rama told Reuters that he has no intention of resigning.
The clashes lasted several days
On 14 October, clashes in the Albanian capital lasted for more than eight hours. Protesters attacked government buildings, banks and other sites, and at least four ministries sustained damage. The police used tear gas and water cannons.
The police and the government have condemned the violence. The figures on the number of injured protesters may be incomplete.
Kochek expressed her support for the protesters, whilst Rama refused to leave
On 16 October, a 25-year-old independent Member of Parliament joined the protesters Mar’yana Kocheku. During the protest, she expressed her disagreement with the government’s policies on the environment, land and the country’s future.
Prime Minister Edi Rama In a comment to Reuters, he stated that he would not resign. In his view, governments should change through democratic elections, not through violence.
Rama has led the Albanian government since 2013. Following the parliamentary elections on 11 May 2025, his Socialist Party retained its majority, securing the Prime Minister a fourth term in office.
From coastal development to mass protests
The current wave of protests has grown out of several months of demonstrations against large-scale tourism project on the southern coast of Albania. The AP links him to an investment company founded Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. The flamingo has become the symbol of the movement — because of the natural habitat where the development is planned.
Villagers had previously claimed that the land for the project had been sold unlawfully. The agency also reported that the man who sold the plots was wanted by prosecutors on suspicion of drug trafficking; his lawyer denied these allegations.
Reuters noted that it had found no evidence of any wrongdoing on Kushner’s part in the land dispute. As he is not a direct party to the villagers’ dispute over the land, the suspicions surrounding its sale should not automatically be linked to him.
The backdrop of corruption and the EU’s response
Among their grievances against the authorities, the protesters also cite corruption and a lack of opportunities for young people. The political backdrop to this was the case involving the then Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku: In February, Reuters reported on charges brought by the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office in a case involving two construction tenders in 2021 with a total value of over 200 million euros. Rama and Balluku have denied the allegations, and no guilt has been established in this case based on the evidence presented.
The current protests represent the greatest challenge to Rama’s government. The European Union delegation in Albania has called on the security forces to respond proportionately to the escalation of violence.
