Albania Protesters Battle Police in Tirana for Fifth Day — SkimNews
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- Anti-government protesters clashed with riot police in central Tirana for a fifth consecutive day Saturday, with masked high school and university students hurling rocks, petrol bombs, cobblestones, and fireworks at officers defending the education ministry.
- Riot police responded with water cannon, tear gas canisters, and rubber bullets used "for the first time," leaving many injured on both sides; 80 people have been charged with disorder and hundreds more arrested or under investigation.
- The protests, which began in early June over corruption allegations linked to Rama's administration, swelled to "far larger numbers" Saturday as the focus shifted to PM Edi Rama's office on Tirana's main boulevard.
- Edi Rama, in power 13 years with his Socialist Party holding 83 of 140 parliamentary seats, blamed the opposition Democratic Party and unnamed "foreign actors" for the unrest, urging Albanians not to forget the "extraordinary things" achieved on the path to EU membership he has promised by 2030.
- A 19-year-old medical student told the BBC: "We were peaceful for 135 days. Now we are trying to make a revolution," explicitly modeling the escalation on the French protest movement.
- Parallel to the street unrest, special prosecutors arrested intelligence chief Vlora Hyseni on accusations she helped businessman Ergys Agasi — a personal friend of Rama — evade justice; several Albanian outlets allege Agasi acted as an intermediary between Rama and organized crime.
Why it matters: Rama's grip on power faces simultaneous pressure from two directions: mass street protests demanding his resignation over corruption and an active special prosecution case that has already netted his intelligence chief. With 83 of 140 parliamentary seats and no elections due until 2029, he has the legislative numbers — but the parallel courtroom assault tests whether an EU-favored leader can weather both at once.
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