'The New York Times' on the protests in Tirana: Student anger, revolt against Rama

The protests and chaos that have engulfed Tirana for three days, the anger of students and the demands for Edi Rama's removal have attracted the attention of one of the most prestigious media outlets in the world, The New York Times.

In its article, the American newspaper describes the escalation of demonstrations, where dissatisfaction with education costs has been combined with accusations of corruption, the rising cost of living and opposition to the luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

According to American media, what began as a protest against luxury construction projects and problems in education has turned into a broader movement against the government, while the organizers themselves admit that the situation has become increasingly difficult to control.

Full article: 

Thousands of students brought Albania's capital to a standstill on Thursday, setting fires in the streets and erecting barricades with iron bars. Anger over the high cost of education has turned into violent protests demanding the resignation of the prime minister.

Police responded with tear gas and water cannon, arresting dozens and charging nearly 100 individuals in total. However, these measures did not appear to ease the mounting pressure on Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. Public opposition to a luxury resort project – linked to Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law – was compounded by growing discontent over corruption and the high cost of living.

This week, months of demonstrations over these issues escalated into violent protests in Tirana. Education costs brought high school students, university students, and other citizens to the streets.

As they marched towards the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister's Office, some of the protesters set fire to garbage bins and bus stops, threw stones at government buildings and banks, and clashed with police.

"Albanians have been protesting for more than 4 months demanding the resignation of the prime minister, but no one has paid attention to their demands," said Anila Shehu, a third-year engineering student. "For this reason, we will continue to protest by any means and in any way possible until Rama resigns. Enough!"

Protesters blocked several roads, lit fires and pulled down iron fences to use as barricades. Some of them tore concrete blocks from sidewalks and broke windows of government-related buildings. They also vented their anger at banks and financial institutions, pelting them with stones and destroying ATMs. Police tried to contain the protests by using tear gas and water cannons. Authorities said they had arrested 55 people and charged 98 others with criminal offenses. The Health Ministry said 89 people were injured, including 61 police officers and 18 protesters.

Mr. Rama, who secured a fourth term as prime minister last year after a landslide victory for the Socialist Party, said the student protests had been taken over by groups seeking to thwart Albania’s plans to join the European Union. On Thursday, he visited the burned-out ruins of the College of Europe — a postgraduate institution that trains Europe’s future technocrats and also has branches in Belgium and Poland.

"Whoever has a hand in this chaos will surely be held responsible," he said in a video posted on social media.

After a third day of protests, smoke still billowed from garbage dumpsters on Thursday, while some shops and tourist attractions remained closed. At a jewelry store on the first floor of the Maritim Hotel Plaza Tirana, employees covered the windows with paper, bracing for further destruction. Some protesters targeted such buildings, arguing that the government’s initiative for a new urban landscape – designed by foreign architects – serves to hide neglect of Albania’s own schools and universities.

"I'm not against the protest. The goal is to oppose the prime minister and the government," said Arian Krypci, 57, head of administrative security at FiBank, as he stood in front of a burned-out branch of his bank, near the prime minister's office.

"But for the situation to escalate in this way, I don't like it at all," he added. "The government has to make a decision: either resign, or bring the police or the army into the streets, because this chaos cannot continue indefinitely."

What began as a student-led protest in support of peaceful demonstrations against luxury construction projects has expanded to include groups of soccer fans and others expressing anger at the government, explained Emir Lecini, a member of the student group that helped start the protest. “I can’t say where the protests will go next or what the next step will be, because the situation has become impossible to control,” he said. “However, we stand by our demand for Rama’s resignation and the protests will not stop until he leaves.”

Protests against the Kushner-linked project began after a video circulated online. It showed private security guards, on May 30, dragging a man who had joined dozens of residents and environmental activists on a beach in southern Albania — an area that Mr. Kushner and his business partners want to include in a proposed luxury hotel and resort project.

Known as the “flamingo revolution” – an allusion to the region’s rich birdlife – the protests had been largely peaceful until this week, resembling a daily carnival in Tirana.

For protesters, the planned project linked to Kushner has become a symbol of a system where politicians, pursuing their own personal interests, award lucrative contracts to their cronies at the expense of ordinary citizens. Mr. Rama, who has been in government on and off since 1998, is the main target of anger, along with Sali Berisha, 81, a former prime minister who leads the main opposition party.

Last month, Mr. Rama announced that the development of the project had been suspended while the government assessed its impact on the surrounding environment. He stressed that the continuation of construction of the luxury project depends on this assessment.

Mr Rama told Reuters he would not resign, adding that such a move “would be a betrayal of the Albanians, who gave me a strong mandate to conclude negotiations for membership in the European Union.”