On October 15, the third day of the uprising and after 138 days of peaceful daily demonstrations, the streets of Tirana were under the control of students. A small student demonstration joined the protest, demanding better educational conditions. The brutal police violence against this group turned out to be the last straw – it prompted first the students, then the rest of the population, and now high school students to speak out against police brutality and demand the resignation of the Prime Minister, the government, and the complete dismantling of their entire system.
Protesters demanding the fall of the government engaged in fierce clashes with the police. Thousands of students boycotted classes and took to the streets alongside thousands of citizens from the “Flamingo Revolution” movement to protest against a corrupt system and its primary representative, the country’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, and demanding the latter’s resignation. He has given protected natural areas to Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, for the construction of a luxury hotel complex.
During the clashes, which lasted late into the night, the buildings housing the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, and the Constitutional Court—as well as a police station and several bank branches—were attacked and set on fire.
The parliament, heavily guarded by police forces, was also targeted. As a result, parliament was suspended. The Socialist Party headquarters was also attacked.
The unrest spread to a number of other cities. In Shkodër, confrontations with the police occurred during an attempt to storm the municipal building. In Korçë, clashes erupted when police tried to clear an occupation at a high school; subsequently, students targeted the Regional Directorate of Education building, smashing its windows. Clashes with the police and arrests also took place in Elbasan.
Rama claimed on Friday, October 16th, that foreign powers were behind the unrest. The following day, he refused to resign. Frightened by the mass unrest, he has made some concessions: 2,000 interest-free loans for young people, students and certain groups of employees, another 2,000 loans with an interest rate of three percent and a subsidy of half the rent for 3,000 apartments.
There have been 167 arrests, with 388 others facing criminal proceedings. The protests are continuing.