Students and faculty members of the University of Tirana gathered on Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Education of Albania to express their dissatisfaction with the current conditions. The signs of destruction from the protests on October 13 are still evident in the city.
Origins of the Protests
Albania has witnessed nearly five months of peaceful anti-government protests, which initially began due to reports of a luxury hotel complex being built by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the former President of the United States. Since then, anti-government and anti-corruption protests have increased, with high school and university students clashing almost daily with police forces.
Read more: Greg Stanton Returns to America After Years in Prison in Russia
Reasons for Dissatisfaction and Demands
Protesters are criticizing corruption, mismanagement of universities, and rising tuition costs in Albania, demanding the resignation of Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of the country. Rama has been in office since 2013 and recently stated that the protesting youth are engaged in a hybrid war.
A protester who requested to remain anonymous due to fear of repercussions said that protesters communicate with each other via text messages. He also noted that protesters were throwing stones at the Ministry of Education, and the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Besmir Sumanaj, a cybersecurity activist in Albania, has stated that young people are no longer organized through traditional political structures and are increasingly using social media for organization. He added that the use of the Telegram app has been particularly effective for the protesters.
Rama has claimed that these protests are influenced by foreign forces, including “Antifa,” labeling it as a terrorist group. However, Redion Qirazi, a security researcher, has deemed this accusation baseless and emphasized the lack of strong evidence to support it.
Sara, one of the protesters, rejected the “terrorist” label that Rama has placed on the protesters, stating that she and her peers are seeking social change without the use of violence. Arlind Guri, the head of the “Together” movement, also stated that young people have taken to the streets due to dissatisfaction with the current situation, and their main demand is Rama's resignation.
Read more: Escalation of Tensions in the Iran War · Protests in India Due to Removal of Names from Voter Lists
