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Tirana students reject both Rama and opposition leadership

Students in Tirana rejected political-party involvement as Albania’s anti-government mobilisation reached its twelfth day on October 24. Leaflets called for both Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha to leave. Students, professional organisations and opposition supporters gathered separately, while clashes around the Education Ministry and the prime minister’s office brought police use of tear gas and water cannon.

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University-age adults talk in a broad urban square.

Separate gatherings mark the twelfth protest day

Student-led anti-government demonstrations in Tirana, Albania’s capital, brought renewed clashes with police on October 24. Protesters threw stones, and officers used tear gas and water cannon. Demonstrators continued to demand Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.[1], [2]

On the movement’s twelfth day, students, professional organisations and opposition Democratic Party supporters gathered at three separate locations. Representatives of professional groups rallied briefly outside the prime minister’s office before heading towards the Education Ministry.[1]

Students also demand Berisha’s departure

Students emphasised their independence from political parties. Leaflets distributed at the gatherings called for both Rama and Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha to leave. Berisha urged people to join but did not personally take part in the march. His party’s lawmakers were at its front. Party supporters set fire to items in the seating arrangement Rama had placed outside his office for dialogue.[1]

Ministry clashes spread towards the prime minister’s office

Outside the Education Ministry, demonstrators broke paving slabs and burned rubbish containers as barricades. Groups moved towards Skanderbeg Square and Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, with clashes also near the prime minister’s office. Police intensified vehicle checks on roads into the capital as people arrived from other cities. Rama maintained his invitation to dialogue, describing peaceful protest as a democratic value while condemning violence against public safety.[1]

References

  1. News sourcein.grClashes erupt in Tirana as students reject party involvement↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceEuronewsViolent protests shake Tirana as police use tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators↩
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