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TIRANA: Protesters clashed with police in Albania\u2019s capital for the fourth day Friday as Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed \u201cforeign hands\u201d for mounting unrest.<\/p>\n
Police used tear gas and water cannons while protesters hurled stones at security forces, burning garbage bins to block roads across the city. Fighting continued into the night in several parts of the city.<\/p>\n
Violent demonstrations have rocked Tirana since Tuesday, with thousands of protesters calling for Rama to step down over university conditions and high tuition fees.<\/p>\n
According to AFP journalists, protesters attempted to force their way into government offices on the capital\u2019s main boulevard on Friday.<\/p>\n
Media reported that protests also spread to other cities with smaller scale violence and student boycotts of universities, marking a significant escalation in the months of anti-government protests.<\/p>\n
The Tirana protests started with hundreds of people gathering outside the education ministry chanting \u201cRama resign!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not criminals. We simply want a better life for our parents and ourselves. We do not want to leave Albania,\u201d 18-year-old Ledia told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s indifference and arrogance since the beginning of our movement have been unbearable and made the situation worse,\u201d said the high school student, who asked to be identified only by her first name.<\/p>\n
Shopfronts have been smashed and several government buildings attacked, including the finance ministry, during this week\u2019s unrest.<\/p>\n
According to a police statement, 160 people were detained for acts of violence on Thursday.<\/p>\n
An AFP journalist saw masked groups smashing shop fronts and looting stores, with similar reports around the city.<\/p>\n
Dozens of people, mainly police, have been injured in the clashes since Tuesday, according to authorities.<\/p>\n
Interior Minister Ervin Demo said Friday that 156 people had been injured, including 97 police, in recent days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would also like to remind you that we have far more reason to come together and work for the good of our country than to clash. This is a disguised attempt by those who seek to seize power through violence,\u201d Demo said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Earlier he said that excessive police force had been registered in two instances and that two police officers had been suspended.<\/p>\n
– \u2018Foreign hands\u2019 –<\/p>\n
There has been months of anti-government protests in the Balkan nation, initially sparked by a controversial resort development linked to US President Donald Trump\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
Rama, in a statement, insisted the protest had \u201cabsolutely nothing to do with the hardships, problems or legitimate aspirations of anyone who desires a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of this is the work of the very same hand, the hand that has gripped the Albanian opposition by the throat, the hand that has burned and destroyed Albania more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Socialist prime minister accused unnamed \u201cforeign hands\u201d of fueling the unrest and seeking to hamper Albania\u2019s bid to join the European Union.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace,\u201d he said in a Facebook video.<\/p>\n
Rama has routinely dismissed protesters\u2019 concerns, accusing them of being manipulated by foreign interests \u2014 without providing details or evidence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n