Youths clash with police for a 3rd day in Albania’s anti-government
protests
[October 16, 2026]
By ZANA CIMILI and DEREK GATOPOULOS
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Student-led demonstrators clashed Thursday with
Albanian police in the capital Tirana for a third day running, joining a
broader anti-government movement launched in opposition to a major
development project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law,
Jared Kushner.
Youths protesting Albania's long-serving Socialist government hurled
rocks at a police cordon outside the Education Ministry, and riot police
responded with tear gas and water cannons. Police detained several
demonstrators.
Protesters in masks aimed fireworks at government offices and set fire
to trash bins, sending thick clouds of smoke into the air. Television
reporters gasped for breath during live broadcasts as smoke and tear gas
filled the air.
The latest clashes followed hours-long riots on Wednesday when
protesters attacked government buildings, banks and businesses, leaving
dozens of people injured.
The protests were led by student groups seeking education reforms. They
have joined the so-called flamingo movement, which is calling for the
resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over allegations of widespread
corruption and in opposition to the large luxury tourism development on
Albania’s southern coast, associated with an investment firm founded by
Kushner.
The movement earned the name after protesters used signs depicting the
pink birds, which live in their thousands in a nature reserve on the
island where the development is planned.
On Thursday, high school students joined thousands of protesters on
marches through the center of the capital, chanting “Rama Resign!” as
they brought the city to a standstill.
“We will be in the square every day,” Mateo Yskollari, a prominent
protest organizer, wrote in an online post. “Our response to any attempt
to silence us will be to expand the protest, civil mobilization, and
disobedience.”
Though initially peaceful, the rallies turned violent when confronting
police cordons. Groups of youths also broke away from the rallies to
attack government buildings and commercial storefronts.
Police prioritized protection of government buildings. They joined
government officials in appeals to parents to keep their teenage
children at home.
National police chief Skender Hita said 71 officers had been injured. He
urged police to act with “professionalism and restraint,” adding: “The
national police guarantee the right to peaceful protest and assembly but
that cannot be used as cover for violence, arson and vandalism.”
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A protester uses an umbrella to shield himself from a police water
cannon during clashes in Tirana, Albania, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026,
as students joined an anti-government demonstration. (AP Photo/Hameraldi
Agolli)
As smaller clashes broke out in at least three other Albanian
cities, the country's education minister, Mirela Kumbaro, issued her
appeal in a video message.
“As minister of education, but also as a mother, I want to share
with you a call for cooperation," she said. "While the ‘dark hands’
create dark smoke with destructive actions against public properties
and private businesses, we must not let our children near that
smoke.”
Rama Thursday greeted cleanup crews and issued a video message from
a burned-out college building. He directly accused political
opponents of inciting the violence, promising to stay on as prime
minister to further Albania's bid to join the European Union.
“We will all get through these difficult hours together because
Albania will continue to climb, because Albania will continue on its
path to Europe,” he said. “No one can grab Albania by the throat.
Anyone who thinks the law does not apply to them is mistaken.”
Rama's Socialists won a fourth consecutive election victory last
year and Albania is not due to hold another parliamentary election
until 2029.
The conservative opposition Democratic Party backed the student
protests and called on Rama to appoint a caretaker government to
prepare for early elections. It retained a group of lawyers to
provide legal assistance for detained protesters.
“This movement is not simply a protest against the government,” the
party said. “It's a revolt against a model of government created by
Edi Rama that has stolen hope from young people, violated citizens’
trust and is increasingly distancing Albania from its European
future.”
A European Union delegation in Albania called late Wednesday for a
proportionate response from authorities, expressing concern at “the
violent escalation at the protest in Tirana.”
___
Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece
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