Tirana sees a fourth night of clashes as Rama says outsiders are stoking the student revolt
The story
Albania's capital went through a fourth straight day of street battles on Friday. Thousands of mostly young protesters marched through Tirana, and riot police answered thrown rocks with tear gas and water cannon outside the education ministry.
The movement started with students angry about high tuition, the price of books and the general cost of living. It has grown into a wider push for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. Over the past few days, crowds have set fires at government buildings and bank branches, and the unrest has spread to Elbasan, Shkodra and Korca.
The toll is climbing. Officials say 156 people have been hurt since Tuesday, 97 of them police officers, and 160 people were detained after Thursday night alone.
Rama, now in his fourth term, says this is not really about students at all. In a video message he blamed unnamed foreign forces that he said don't want Albania at peace or inside the European Union. He offered no evidence. He said he is open to talking about education costs but called quitting a betrayal of voters who backed his plan to finish EU membership talks.
The EU has already urged Albanian authorities to keep their response proportionate. With the country aiming to join the bloc by 2028, the rest of Europe is paying close attention to how this ends.
