The uprising in Albania’s capital has escalated, with students and youth activists moving from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations with police for the seventh straight day. Between October 14 and 20, authorities recorded 295 injuries, 186 of which were police officers, as demonstrators targeted government buildings and the police force went on a tear‑gas and water‑cannon onslaught.
Prime Minister Edi Rama accused the crowds of being “radicalised by dark forces” and warned that any negotiation would mean the “fall” of the state. Yet the protesters claim they are fighting for better university conditions, an end to corruption and a contested election that they say is rigged.
Rama’s men fired water‑cannons and tear‑gas canisters into packed parks while students stormed cafés, knocking over tables and prompting police to pepper‑spray anyone who tried to retreat. Human‑rights lawyers report that many arrests were made without evidence and that those who “actually throw stuff at the police rarely get caught” simply escape because they run faster.
In the aftermath, a group of volunteers in yellow jackets gathers saline solution bottles on a sunlit stone surface, preparing treatment zones for tear‑gas victims. “They come from families whose members left the country,” says activist Sidorela Vatnikaj, a master’s student who has been actively campaigning for eight years, “and lately they have been left bruised and ignored.”
Rama, who’s been in power for 13 years, pledges that Albania will reach EU membership by 2030 and that only he can deliver it. The protests hint at a possible need for a technocratic government to pave the way for authentic democratic elections, according to Vatnikaj.
