The key facts

  • Albanian lawmakers staged a brawl: the opposition blocked the podium, tore down microphones, threw objects, but voting continued
  • Student protests in Tirana have entered their tenth consecutive day; participants demand lower tuition fees, investment in education, and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama
  • Rama vowed not to allow a change of power 'by imposing violence'; the protests are linked to the broader Flamingo movement against a tourism project tied to Jared Kushner's firm

Clashes in parliament

On Thursday, October 23, clashes broke out in Albania's parliament between opposition and ruling party lawmakers. Opposition members tried to disrupt the session: they blocked the podium, held up photographs of students who, they said, had been injured by police actions at previous protests, banged on desks, tore microphones off tables, and threw objects across the chamber. According to Euronews, overturned chairs and repeated scuffles between politicians were visible on camera. Despite the chaos, some lawmakers continued voting on bills by raising their cards.

Cause of the conflict

The clashes began after parliament's leadership rejected the opposition's demand to hold a debate on the ten days of student demonstrations that have swept the capital, Tirana. Outside parliament, large crowds of students and supporters gathered at the building's entrances behind police cordons; some protesters tore down barriers. Several university professors joined the demonstration. Protesters chanted that the state should serve the people, not those in power.

Protesters' demands

School and university students demand lower tuition fees, increased government investment in education, and an end to corruption in the education system. They then joined a broader anti-government movement demanding the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. Demonstrators repeatedly clashed with police in the city center, throwing stones, flares, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks; police responded with batons, water cannons, and tear gas.

Prime minister's reaction

Rama said he would resist. 'A wave of stones, an attempt to overthrow the government and change power by imposing violence — something that will never be allowed, in any form or for any reason,' he said on Tuesday after a meeting with teachers and school representatives. In his view, legitimate grievances are being exploited by those who deliberately incite violence.

Context of the protests

The student protests follow months of demonstrations by the Flamingo movement, which arose in protest against a large luxury tourism project on Albania's southern Adriatic coast linked to an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. According to Euronews, Albania is not alone: governments across Europe are facing street pressure over rising fuel prices, deteriorating public services, underfunded schools, and a housing crisis. Similar protests have taken place in France and Italy, tent camps have sprung up in Spain and Portugal over unaffordable housing, and demonstrations were planned in Greece this week.