By Antonio Sánchez Solís
Tirana, Oct 16 (EFE).- Albania is experiencing the fourth consecutive day of student protests against the government on Friday, which they accuse of corruption and blame for the high cost of living.
Friday protests featured further episodes of violence, while the government has made it clear that it will not resign and the conservative opposition has called for further mobilization.
Protesters and police reached an agreement in the morning allowing for a peaceful march; in the afternoon at the Ministry of Education and in the evening outside the government headquarters, groups of students once again threw stones, prompting a response from riot police with tear gas and water cannons.
The Ministry of the Interior reported that 156 people, including four minors, 97 police officers, 45 protesters, and 14 bystanders, have been injured since the protests began on Tuesday.
A total of 127 people have been arrested in Tirana, and another 244 are under investigation for violence against the police, damage to state institutions, and destruction of public and private property, including ATMs, cameras, vehicles, and street furniture.
Among those arrested are 16 minors between the ages of 15 and 17.
The most intense riots occurred late in the afternoon in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, which had already been the scene of clashes on Thursday.
A heavy police presence pushed back the protesters who had approached the police cordon surrounding the building, and the students responded by throwing stones and hurling insults at the officers.
National Heroes Boulevard, where the government headquarters is located, was once again littered with cobblestones used as weapons by the protesters and shards of glass from storefronts smashed during the protest.
However, by nightfall, fewer students confronted the police than what EFE had witnessed 24 hours earlier.
As has been the norm in recent days, security forces used water cannons and tear gas to keep the protesters at bay.
Around 8:30 pm, several hundred protesters remained gathered in a tense calm in front of two police trucks equipped with water cannons and a large riot police unit.
After marching along the avenues surrounding downtown Tirana, amid cheers and honking from many drivers and pedestrians in support, the protesters returned to the Ministry of Education, which had sustained significant damage during the protests of recent days.
The prime minister again ruled out resigning and asked the public for patience, assuring them that the country will overcome this crisis and emerge stronger.
Rama, who has been in office since 2013 and was re-elected in May with an absolute majority, accused the opposition on Thursday of being behind the protests.
Meanwhile, the PM’s Socialist Party has stated that the goal is to disrupt the smooth progress of the country’s accession process to the European Union.
The leader of the conservative opposition, Sali Berisha, called on his supporters on Friday to show solidarity with the students tomorrow.
“History is calling on all Albanians to gather in Tirana tomorrow,” said Berisha, 82, who served as president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and as prime minister from 2005 to 2013, and who is currently under investigation for corruption.
Since Thursday, the protests have been spreading to other cities in Albania, which remains one of the poorest countries in Europe with some of the highest corruption rates.
There have been rallies and marches in Lezhe, Shkodër, Elbasan, Kurbin, Rreshen, and Fushe-Arrez, among others.
This student protest is part of a broader citizen movement that began in May in opposition to the government’s plans to develop a real estate project linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, in a nature reserve in the southeastern part of the country.
From there, a nationwide mobilization has emerged, featuring protests, so far mostly peaceful, against corruption, the rising cost of living, problems in the health and education systems, and, as his opponents argue, the prime minister’s arrogance. EFEas-ib/mcd
