Albanian police fired tear gas and water cannon at anti-government protesters on October 18 as violent demonstrations entered their sixth consecutive day, with Prime Minister Edi Rama rejecting calls for his resignation and warning that the unrest could threaten the country's ambition to join the European Union.
Protesters attacked government buildings and police facilities in the capital Tirana, setting fire to the entrance of the interior ministry and a police station, smashing windows at the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party and attempting to set fire to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy. The Supreme Court was also damaged by fire during clashes on October 17.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the education ministry on October 18, chanting "Rama, resign", before confrontations with police spread across the city centre. Protesters threw stones, Molotov cocktails and pyrotechnic devices, according to a statement from police chief Skender Hita. Local media report that police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and baton charges, according to reports from the scene. Hundreds of people have reportedly been injured in the six days of clashes.
From peaceful protests to street violence
The escalation is a sharp departure from months of largely peaceful demonstrations against Rama's government and raises questions about why discontent that had persisted through the summer has suddenly erupted into widespread violence.
The unrest began with a student-led movement demanding action over high university fees, inadequate educational facilities, the cost of living and unemployment. But it has unfolded against a broader backdrop of allegations of corruption, frustration with the political establishment and anger over government decisions affecting the country's environment and development.
Rama, whose Socialist Party has been in power since 2013 and secured a fourth consecutive term in office, has ruled out resigning. In a lengthy address broadcast on Facebook, he accused outside forces of seeking to destabilise Albania and urged citizens to consider the consequences for the country's European ambitions.
"I am not being challenged, the government is not being challenged, a government majority or a winning party in the elections is not being challenged but a path is being challenged, a mission is being challenged," he said.
He called on Albanians to "think very clearly" about whether they wanted to jeopardise the country's EU aspirations, presenting the unrest as a threat to a strategic objective that has attracted broad public support.
Flamingo revolution
The current unrest follows a summer of nightly demonstrations by an anti-government movement known as the "Flamingo Revolution", whose supporters gathered in central Tirana for over 130 consecutive days demanding Rama's resignation.
The movement was initially sparked by plans for a luxury tourism development on the Adriatic coast associated with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Critics argued that the project threatened an ecologically sensitive area near the coastal city of Vlora, including habitat important to flamingos, which became the symbol of the protests.
The demonstrations brought together people from different generations, including parents with children and older citizens. Organisers insisted that the movement was independent of political parties, with one of its slogans calling for both Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha to be jailed. Participants often cleaned the streets after gatherings, highlighting the peaceful nature of the campaign that sought to channel public frustration into pressure for political accountability.
However, after months of protests, numbers began to decline towards the end of the summer, with the government showing little sign of conceding to the movement's central demands.
The student demonstrations that began last week appear to have provided a new focus for popular dissatisfaction. The change in scale and tactics has been dramatic. Demonstrations that once featured placards and symbolic pink flamingos have given way to masked protesters, burning barricades and attacks on state institutions.
Secondary school pupils joined university students on the streets, and the protests have also spread beyond Tirana to other major cities, including Albania's second city Durres, as well as Gjirokaster, Korce, Shkoder and Vlora.
The overlap between the Flamingo movement and the student protests remains unclear. Neither movement has publicly established a formal connection with the other, and no representative of the student campaign has emerged as an undisputed leader. Nevertheless, both have drawn on similar grievances, particularly allegations of corruption and the perception that the political establishment is failing to respond to ordinary citizens' concerns.
Corruption allegations
Public anger has been fuelled by allegations of corruption involving ministers and other senior officials, which have become a persistent source of pressure on Rama's government.
Scandal-hit politicians include Rama's close ally Belinda Balluku, a former deputy prime minister and minister of energy and infrastructure, who was charged in a corruption case concerning the Llogara Tunnel in 2025. Rama's initial refusal to dismiss Balluku damaged his government's credibility.
The opposition Democratic Party, led by Berisha, has repeatedly sought to mobilise supporters against Rama. Its own demonstrations have sometimes turned violent, although attendance has generally been lower than at the latest protests.
Rama has accused Berisha of encouraging the unrest and seeking to exploit it for political gain. "All of this is the work of the very same hand," Rama said in a statement, referring to what he described as an opposition force intent on destabilising the country. He accused his opponents of being driven by hatred and a determination to prevent Albania from progressing.
Rama has also suggested that foreign interests are seeking to obstruct Albania's European integration, without providing evidence for the allegation. "These are foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace... they do not want Albania to be part of the united European family," he said in a social media statement.
Some Albanian media commentators have speculated about possible involvement by foreign intelligence services, including Serbia, but such claims remain unsubstantiated.
Police response under scrutiny
The authorities have defended the police response as necessary to protect public order and prevent further attacks on state institutions.
Interior Minister Ervin Demo, speaking after a meeting with Rama and senior police officials on October 19, said the latest incidents had crossed a "red line" and could no longer be regarded simply as a student protest. He cited the attack on Police Station No. 3 in Tirana, where demonstrators targeted the building and officers defending it.
The government has condemned attacks on public institutions, while ministers have warned that violence threatens democratic pluralism. Defence Minister Ermal Nufi condemned the attack on Socialist Party headquarters. Infrastructure and Energy Minister Enea Karakaçi also condemned an attempt to set fire to the entrance of his ministry in a Facebook post, saying the attack endangered employees and citizens whose documents were held inside the building.
Protesters have also damaged courts, banks, a post office and other properties. Shops and offices in central Tirana secured their doors and windows with metal shutters ahead of demonstrations, while municipal workers removed paving stones that could be used as projectiles. The government has said it will reimburse affected businesses, although the extent of the damage has yet to be established.
EU membership at stake
The European Union on October 18 condemned the violence in Tirana and other Albanian cities, including arson, attacks on state institutions and destruction of public and private property. "Violence has no place in a democratic society, and the response to it must remain within the law and proportionate," the European Commission said in a statement.
It said those responsible should be held accountable through due process, while emphasising that freedom of assembly and expression were fundamental rights that must be exercised peacefully.
Albania is among the leading candidates to join the EU, and accession has been a central objective of successive governments. Rama has presented progress towards membership as evidence that his administration is moving the country forward. However, sustained instability and questions over democratic standards could complicate the country's efforts to demonstrate that it meets the bloc's requirements.