Police in Albania fired rubber bullets at antigovernment protesters in the capital Tirana on Saturday, the fifth consecutive day of unrest, as high school and university students joined a broader movement against Prime Minister Edi Rama. National police chief Skender Hita confirmed the use of rubber bullets, saying they had been deployed "in a limited manner". The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reported that nine protesters and four police officers received medical treatment on Saturday. Hita said 167 people had been arrested over the five days of unrest, while 132 officers had been injured. Seven police officers were suspended pending investigations into allegations that they had exceeded their authority.
Protesters threw stones, petrol bombs and fireworks at police near Rama's office and elsewhere in central Tirana. Some set cars and rubbish bins alight, creating burning barricades across streets. The unrest has brought growing anger over education, unemployment and alleged corruption into a wider confrontation with the government.
Students have complained about expensive university fees, poor educational facilities and limited employment opportunities, alongside allegations of government corruption. At the start of Saturday's demonstration, protesters set fire to a suitcase and threw it into the Ministry of Education's courtyard, a gesture symbolising their determination not to leave Albania in search of better opportunities. "We are demanding our rights, our future and a better country," journalism student Sinan Billa told AFP.
Rama, who is serving his fourth term and has refused to resign, visited businesses damaged during the unrest on Saturday. He promised to listen to students and protect their right to demonstrate, while warning against further destruction. He also accused his conservative political opponents of encouraging the violence.
The student demonstrations have added to months of antigovernment rallies organised by the Flamingo movement, which began as a campaign against a luxury tourism development on Albania's southern coast. The project is linked to an investment company founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. The movement has since widened its demands to include Rama's resignation amid allegations of corruption against his government. The unrest has also spread beyond Tirana, with local media reporting that protesters in the coastal city of Durres damaged a post office.