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.
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Rama → fire → demands
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.
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Party → continue → 2013
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PM → protest → protests
The unrest has brought growing anger over education, unemployment and alleged corruption into a wider confrontation with the government.
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unrest → bring → government
Protesters threw stones, petrol bombs and fireworks at police near Rama’s office and elsewhere in central Tirana.
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Protesters → throw → Tirana
Some set cars and rubbish bins alight, creating burning barricades across streets.
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Some → set → streets
Police responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges as demonstrators pushed against security lines.
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demonstrators → respond → lines
The AFP news agency reported that officers used rubber bullets for the first time since the demonstrations began.
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demonstrations → report → time
National police chief Skender Hita confirmed their use at a news conference on Saturday, saying they had been deployed “in a limited manner”.
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they → confirm → manner
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said nine protesters and four police officers received medical treatment on Saturday.
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protesters → say → Saturday
Hita said 167 people had been arrested over five days of unrest, while 132 officers had been injured.
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officers → say → unrest
Seven police officers were also suspended pending investigations into allegations that they had exceeded their authority.
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they → suspend → authority
Rama, who is serving his fourth term and has refused to resign, visited businesses damaged during the unrest on Saturday.
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who → serve → Saturday
He promised to listen to students and protect their right to demonstrate, while warning against further destruction.
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He → promise → destruction
He also accused his conservative political opponents of encouraging the violence.
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He → accuse → violence
Growing discontent
The students have complained about expensive university fees, poor educational facilities and limited employment opportunities, alongside allegations of government corruption.
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students → grow → corruption
At the start of Saturday’s demonstration, protesters set fire to a suitcase and threw it into the Ministry of Education’s courtyard.
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protesters → set → courtyard
AFP reported that the gesture symbolised their determination not to leave Albania in search of better opportunities.
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gesture → report → opportunities
“We are demanding our rights, our future and a better country,” journalism student Sinan Billa told AFP.
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Billa → demand → 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.
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which → add → coast
The project is linked to an investment company founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
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project → link → Trump
The movement has since widened its demands to include Rama’s resignation amid allegations of corruption against his government.
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movement → widen → government
The unrest has also spread beyond Tirana.
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unrest → spread → 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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protesters → report → capital
The Aporia
