The luxury high-rises transforming Tirana's skyline are meant to project the image of a modern European capital.
asserted
rises → transform → capital
She removes the mask she had been wearing to protect herself from tear gas.
asserted
she → remove → gas
"How could I ever afford an apartment in one of these towers on a salary of €540 [$608]?" she shouts, as she stands facing a line of police officers.
uncertain
she → afford → officers
"I share the rent with people I don't even know because my family has emigrated.
asserted
family → share → people
We're exhausted."
asserted
We → exhaust → ?
University lecture halls in Tirana stand empty as students boycott classes and take to the streets, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has been in power since 2013.
asserted
who → stand → 2013
Escalation after months of protests
Albanians have been protesting since late May as part of a broader anti-government movement known as the "Flamingo Revolution," which began in response to a multimillion-euro tourism development linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, in the protected coastal area of Zvernec.
uncertain
which → protest → Zvernec
The movement has, however, since grown into a broader challenge to Rama's government.
asserted
movement → grow → government
Over the past three days, the student demonstrations have erupted into violent clashes.
asserted
demonstrations → erupt → clashes
Bins, businesses, buildings and banks have been set ablaze, with some completely burning out.
asserted
some → set → ?
Tear gas has filled the air.
asserted
gas → fill → air
A total of 152 people have been arrested and 324 are under investigation over the three days of protests.
asserted
324 → arrest → protests
Injuries have been reported among both protesters and police officers, with the police saying 71 officers have been injured in the clashes.
asserted
officers → report → clashes
But above all, they want the government to step down and say they are not willing to negotiate any of their other demands with the prime minister.
asserted
they → want → minister
"You didn't listen to us for four months while we protested peacefully.
asserted
we → listen → months
Now you'll listen as the city burns," said Samanta.
asserted
Samanta → listen → ?
Rama breaks his silence
During the first two days of the student protests, the prime minister remained silent.
asserted
minister → break → protests
Then, at 8:03 a.m. on Thursday, Rama appeared in a video message recorded inside the fire-damaged College of Europe building, just meters from his office on Tirana's main street, the Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation.
asserted
Rama → appear → Nation
"These are the hands of an opposition that, hiding behind masked people, wants to drag Albania back to a place it will never return to," he declared.
asserted
he → hide → place
Later that day, Rama addressed the protesters' central demand — his resignation.
asserted
Rama → address → demand
In comments to Reuters, he ruled out stepping down, saying governments are changed in elections.
asserted
governments → rule → elections
The following day, he also accused "foreign hands" of seeking to prevent Albania from joining the European Union.
asserted
he → accuse → Union
The unrest comes at a critical moment for Albania's bid to join the European Union.
asserted
unrest → come → Union
Brussels has called for calm and restraint, urging all sides to avoid further escalation and engage in dialogue.
asserted
Brussels → call → dialogue
Sali Berisha, the 82-year-old leader of the opposition Democratic Party and a former prime minister, rejected Rama's accusations that the opposition was behind the violence.
"
asserted
opposition → reject → violence
We have no idea whether it's Greece, Iran, Serbia or someone else," he told a press conference, mocking Rama's claims of foreign interference.
uncertain
he → have → interference
"The Democratic Party fully supports this protest and will stand by it until the end.
asserted
Party → support → end
"The main reason is the prime minister's failure to respond during four months of protests and his mockery of the demonstrators.
asserted
reason → respond → demonstrators
Other reasons include the economic situation, corruption cases and successive scandals," he told DW, referring to a number of corruption investigations involving senior government officials.
asserted
he → include → officials
But the anger is not directed at Rama alone.
asserted
anger → direct → Rama
Protesters have also voiced their frustration with Albania's political opposition.
asserted
Protesters → voice → opposition
"We want the political class of the past 35 years to go.
asserted
class → want → years
We want a new Albania with new leaders," Skerdi Topalli, a 20-year-old journalism student, told DW.
asserted
Topalli → want → DW
What could come after the protests?
uncertain
What → come → protests
For political analyst Mark Marku, dean of the Faculty of History and Philology at the University of Tirana, the protests mark a turning point.
asserted
protests → mark → point
In a society that was not responding, they woke people up and made us think about change," he told DW.
asserted
he → respond → DW
But Marku warns that even Rama's resignation and fresh elections would not necessarily bring new political leadership.
asserted
resignation → warn → leadership
"Challenging the government is not an end in itself.
asserted
Challenging → challenge → itself
A protest must produce a result," he said.
asserted
he → produce → result
You cannot vote for a protest."
asserted
You → vote → protest
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
