Get you up to speed: Albanian police fire rubber bullets as protests against Rama escalate
Police in Tirana fired rubber bullets at antigovernment protesters amid escalating violence over demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. The clashes, involving high school and university students, have now lasted five consecutive days, with authorities confirming injuries to nine protesters and four police officers on Saturday.
National police chief Skender Hita reported that 167 arrests have been made during the five days of protests, with 132 officers injured and seven officers suspended for exceeding their authority. The unrest has not only impacted Tirana but has also spread to other cities, including Durres, where demonstrators have caused property damage and blocked roads.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who visited businesses affected by the unrest, promised to listen to students and protect their right to demonstrate, while also warning against further violence. National police chief Skender Hita confirmed the use of rubber bullets for the first time during the protests and announced that seven officers had been suspended amid ongoing investigations into excessive force.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how the authorities plan to address the ongoing protests and demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
Albanian police use rubber bullets as protests against Prime Minister Rama escalate
News|ProtestsAlbanian police fire rubber bullets as protests against Rama escalate
Five days of clashes rock Tirana as students join a wider movement demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
Published On 17 Oct 202617 Oct 2026
Police in Albania have fired rubber bullets at antigovernment protesters in the capital, Tirana, as violent clashes intensify over demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
The clashes continued on Saturday for a fifth consecutive day after high school and university students joined a broader movement against Rama, whose governing centre-left Socialist Party has held power since 2013.
The unrest has brought growing anger over education, unemployment and alleged corruption into a wider confrontation with the government.
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.
Police responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges as demonstrators pushed against security lines.
The AFP news agency reported that officers used rubber bullets for the first time since the demonstrations began.
National police chief Skender Hita confirmed their use at a news conference on Saturday, saying they had been deployed “in a limited manner”.
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said nine protesters and four police officers received medical treatment on Saturday.
Hita said 167 people had been arrested over five days of unrest, while 132 officers had been injured.
Seven police officers were also suspended pending investigations into allegations that they had exceeded their authority.
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.
Growing discontent
The 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. AFP reported that the gesture symbolised 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.
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. Local media reported that protesters in the coastal city of Durres damaged a post office and blocked roads with burning barricades, extending the confrontations beyond the capital.
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