Albanian police arrest 167 in fifth day of protests

Albanian police arrested 167 people by Oct. 17 as anti-government protests reached a fifth day, Euronews said in a news report, citing the country’s police.

The unrest raises pressure on Prime Minister Edi Rama, with the arrest count above the 152 arrests Atlas360 reported on Oct. 16 after three days of demonstrations over living costs, education and governance.

Rama said he supported the right to protest but warned that masked people damaging businesses were committing crimes. “I will not allow anyone to jeopardize the future of this country … not for the political gain of those who use their wicked hand to create disorder and destruction,” he said in a video message.

Students and other demonstrators assembled Saturday outside Tirana’s Ministry of Education, according to Euronews. The protests have expanded beyond the capital, with high school and university students joining a wider movement seeking Rama’s resignation over corruption allegations.

In Tirana, demonstrators hurled stones at police, and officers answered with tear gas, Euronews reported via Euronews Albania. Police also used rubber bullets and two vehicles fitted with water cannon to disperse the crowd, before protesters returned and again threw stones at officers, the report said.

The country’s police said 132 officers were injured during the five days of unrest, according to Euronews. Police chief Skender Hita said seven officers had been suspended while authorities examine allegations that excessive force was used.

Rama, a Socialist who has governed since 2013 and is in a fourth term, has rejected calls to step down, Euronews reported. He accused conservative opponents of encouraging the clashes and said in the same video message: “My responsibility is clear in these difficult hours: to protect our citizens, guarantee justice and move Albania forward.”

The movement combines student demands for improved education, more financial support and stronger employment prospects with broader anger at governance. Euronews reported that opposition to a luxury tourism development connected to Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has also helped fuel the demonstrations.

The Euronews report did not set out evidence for the corruption allegations or provide the basis for Rama’s accusation against conservative opponents. It also did not give a timetable for the inquiries into the seven suspended officers.

The known institutional process is the police review involving those officers, while the protests have already spread to cities across Albania after five days of arrests and clashes.

Source: news report, Euronews, Oct. 17, 2026