By Fatos Bytyci
TIRANA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of young Albanians gathered outside the Education Ministry in the centre of the capital Tirana on Saturday on the fifth day of a growing student-led movement to force Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
The protest turned violent when a group of young people wearing masks hurled rocks at riot police, who responded with stun grenades, tear gas and a water cannon.
Demonstrations over corruption and a lack of jobs have begun spreading throughout Albania. In Tirana this week, protesters smashed windows, set alight government buildings and clashed with police.
Police figures showed that 500 protesters had been detained so far, 330 of whom were released. Some 120 police and 45 protesters were registered as injured, although many injuries to protesters are likely to have gone unrecorded.
The unrest is emerging as the biggest threat to Rama, who has governed since 2013 and won a fourth term in elections last year.
It follows months of largely peaceful protests triggered by plans to build a luxury resorton Albania’s pristine southern coastline, backed by investors including US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Villagers told Reuters in July that their land had been wrongfully sold for the development. Reuters later reported that the man who sold the land was wanted by prosecutors on suspicion of drug trafficking, accusations his lawyer denied.
Reuters found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner, who is not directly involved in the villagers’ dispute.
Rama’s administration has been dogged by corruption scandals and analysts say Albania is a hub for gangs seeking to launder money from drugs and weapons trafficking, complicating its efforts to join the EU.
Rama, who denies wrongdoing and this week told Reuters that he would not step down, said on Saturday that his government respected the students and would protect their right to protest.
“My responsibility is even clearer during these difficult times … to protect our citizens, guarantee justice, and move Albania forward — together with this governing majority, which holds a very clear mandate: to see Albania in the European Union by 2030,” he said on Facebook.
Along with Montenegro, Albania is leading the accession process among Balkan countries.
Albania’s unrest coincides with growing street protests elsewhere in Europe.
In France, high-school students have been protesting for weeks to demand more teachers and better facilities, a campaign that looks to be spreading to other population groups.
Spain this month experienced broad protests against high rents and a lack of housing, which prompted the government to call a snap election.
(Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
