The key facts
- Prime Minister Edi Rama said that 'protests are a right, violence is a crime,' and promised legal and financial consequences for the rioters.
- Clashes intensified after a student movement protesting high tuition fees joined; hundreds of people, including police officers, were reportedly injured.
- The European Commission condemned the violence and called for peaceful dialogue in the EU candidate country.
Protests and the authorities' harsh response
The 'Flamingo' anti-government protests have been going on in Albania for months, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. At the beginning of last week, a student movement demanding action over high tuition fees joined them, after which the clashes intensified. On Monday, October 19, 2026, demonstrations continued across the country, including in Tirana.
Rama's statement
On Monday, Rama wrote on social media: 'Protests are a right, whereas violence is a crime, and this red line will be firmly drawn at this critical stage of our democratic development.' He added that 'the rioters must, and will, face the legal and financial consequences of their blindness,' called on protesters to distance themselves from the rioters, and declared readiness for dialogue 'with anyone except the rioters and political parties that do not distance themselves from violence.' Rama also sought to assign responsibility for the unrest to foreign influence.
Course of the clashes
According to publications, in recent days protesters set buildings on fire, threw Molotov cocktails and fired fireworks at police officers, who responded with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas. Hundreds of people, including police officers, were reportedly injured.
Voices of participants
22-year-old student Leka Sina told the AFP agency: 'We will continue our movement until Rama resigns. We are not criminals, we want social peace and better living conditions in our country.' He added: 'Violence is not the solution, but the government also needs to think deeply to understand this revolt.'
The European Commission's reaction
On Sunday, the European Commission issued a statement condemning the violence in Albania: it 'has no place in a democratic society,' and the authorities' response 'must remain within the framework of the law and be proportionate.' The Commission stressed that freedom of assembly and expression are fundamental rights and key European values, and that in a candidate country firmly committed to the EU accession process, grievances must be resolved through constructive and peaceful dialogue.
