Overview
- The rally on Saturday drew thousands to the Education Ministry in Tirana and again devolved into clashes with police who used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
- Authorities said dozens were detained and that more than 300 people, including protesters and police, were injured after demonstrators smashed windows, set fires at government buildings and pulled up paving stones.
- The protests began in May over a contested luxury coastal resort linked in reporting to Jared Kushner and have since widened into broad demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation and action on corruption.
- Students remain the visible core of the movement, citing crowded classrooms, low pay and lack of jobs as reasons they do not want to emigrate and as drivers of sustained street pressure.
- The government has accused foreign actors of fuelling unrest and released photos of alleged violent participants while European and U.S. officials have urged restraint and called for inquiries into policing and violence, a dynamic that could affect Albania's EU accession path.