Albanian police fire rubber bullets as protests against Rama escalate

Five days of clashes rock Tirana as students join a wider movement demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.By AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 17 Oct 202617 Oct 2026Police in Albania have fired rubber bullets at antigovernment protesters in the capital, Tirana, as violent clashes intensify over demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.The clashes continued on Saturday for a fifth consecutive day after high school and university students joined a broader movement against Rama, whose governing centre-left Socialist Party has held power since 2013.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2‘Boiling point’: Why students are protesting against Albania’s Edi Ramalist 2 of 2Albania’s PM blames ‘foreign hands’ for protestsend of listThe unrest has brought growing anger over education, unemployment and alleged corruption into a wider confrontation with the government.Protesters threw stones, petrol bombs and fireworks at police near Rama’s office and elsewhere in central Tirana.Some set cars and rubbish bins alight, creating burning barricades across streets.Police responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges as demonstrators pushed against security lines....