Rama faces Albania protests with around 300 injured

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed a “hybrid war” on Tuesday for unrest after a week of anti-government protests in Tirana left around 300 people injured, Euronews reported in a news article.

Authorities said more than half of the injured were police, while protest demands have widened from university conditions to corruption complaints and calls for Rama to quit.

“It is a hybrid war that gains traction precisely because it is rooted in genuine grievances, not mere fantasy,” Rama said during a live broadcast from the education ministry, according to Euronews.

“This has now been recognised and is becoming a major issue across Europe,” Rama said, referring to what he described as foreign-backed destabilisation. Euronews said Rama had previously accused Russia and Iran of spreading online misinformation.

Euronews reported that demonstrations drawing thousands have included repeated confrontations with police. Officers have used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets, while protesters have thrown stones, petrol bombs and fireworks.

The protests began over a disputed resort development in an ecologically protected area linked to US President Donald Trump's family, Euronews reported. The unrest has since become a broader anti-government mobilisation focused on corruption and Rama’s continued leadership.

University conditions remain part of the dispute. Euronews, citing an AFP reporter, said hundreds of professors marched on Tuesday in solidarity with student demonstrators and carried a banner reading “Stop violence against students.”

The violence has damaged several government buildings, including the education ministry, which Euronews described as a focal point of the demonstrations. Atlas360 reported on Oct. 19 that European Union and United States officials had urged restraint in Albania, an EU-candidate state.

Rama’s allegations of foreign involvement remain official claims. The Euronews article did not report independent evidence establishing responsibility by Russia, Iran or other foreign actors for the unrest.

Rama also hinted at a possible ban on social media for children under 16 and changes to the age of criminal responsibility, Euronews reported. No timetable was reported for either measure.

Source: news article, Euronews, Oct. 20, 2026.