Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has accused a \u201chybrid war\u201d of\nworsening the political situation in his country. His comments came\nafter anti-government demonstrations in the capital, Tirana, turned\nviolent over the past week.<\/p>\n
Protests that had been under way for several months intensified from\nlast Tuesday. They were prompted by demands for improvements to higher\neducation and public anger over alleged corruption.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people have taken to the streets and repeatedly clashed\nwith security forces. According to AFP, police have often used water\ncannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds targeting\ngovernment buildings.<\/p>\n
Several shops in parts of the capital have also been damaged.<\/p>\n
Clashes, which had been smaller in scale earlier on Tuesday, flared\nagain. Demonstrators renewed calls for Rama, the centre-left leader, to\nresign.<\/p>\n
Riot police fired tear gas and used water cannon to drive back crowds\ntrying to approach government offices. Protesters responded by setting\noff fireworks and throwing petrol bombs and stones at officers.<\/p>\n
Some demonstrators also set fire to rubbish bins to use as road\nbarricades.<\/p>\n
Authorities said about 300 people had been injured in clashes over\nthe week. More than half of them were police officers.<\/p>\n
Rama alleges foreign interference<\/strong><\/p>\n In a statement broadcast live during a visit to the Ministry of\nEducation on Tuesday, Rama again blamed foreign actors for the violence.\nHe had previously accused Russia and Iran of being behind the spread of\ndisinformation online.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has now been acknowledged and has become a major issue across\nEurope,\u201d Rama said, according to AFP on Wednesday (21 October 2026).<\/p>\n He said the unrest was part of a hybrid war that exploited real\nproblems in society, rather than issues that had simply been\ninvented.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a hybrid war that is gaining momentum precisely because it\nis rooted in genuine grievances, not mere fantasy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Rama referred to concerns among residents, including the rising cost\nof living, the difficulty of finding affordable housing and anxiety\nabout the future.<\/p>\n Amid the turmoil, Rama also signalled that social media use by\nchildren under 16 could be restricted. He also referred to plans to\nchange the age of criminal responsibility.<\/p>\n Lecturers take to the streets and call for an end to\nviolence<\/strong><\/p>\n The demonstrations in Albania have not been limited to university\nstudents. Some secondary-school pupils have also joined the protests,\nalthough police and local authorities have repeatedly condemned the\ninvolvement of minors in acts of violence.<\/p>\n On Tuesday morning, hundreds of university professors held a\nsolidarity rally in support of the demonstrators and to protest against\npolice violence towards students.<\/p>\n They carried banners reading \u201cStop violence against students\u201d and\nalso called for Rama to step down.<\/p>\n The week of demonstrations has caused serious damage to several\ngovernment buildings, including the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n The anti-government protests in the Balkan country were initially\ntriggered by controversy over the construction of a resort linked to the\nfamily of US President Donald Trump. Anger over the project has since\ngrown into a broader movement opposing corruption.<\/p>\n Demonstrators continue to demand Rama\u2019s resignation amid mounting\ndissatisfaction with his government.<\/p>",
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