Albania, third day of student protests: 55 arrests

In Albania, student mobilization against the government led by Edi Rama continues. October 15 marks the third consecutive day of protests, a topic that this newspaper’s Briefs had only touched upon in previous editions: here we provide a complete account of it for the first time.

According to Bold News, thousands of high school and university students took to the streets of Tirana, blocking some roads in the capital. The same outlet reports boycotts of classes in schools and universities, with mobilizations also recorded in other Albanian cities besides the capital.

Protesters called for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation by one p.m. on October 15, an explicit deadline set for the government during the day.

On the repression front, Albanian police reported, through Euronews Albania, 55 arrests in flagrante delicto and 98 people subject to criminal proceedings over the events of the previous day, October 14. The same sources state that 51 law enforcement officers were injured during that day’s clashes.

The October 14 clashes caused damage to state institutions, private businesses, equipment and vehicles, according to the police account reported by Euronews Albania.

The convergence of the two sources used makes it possible to distinguish two levels of the story. On one hand, the street dimension described by Bold News, with thousands of young people mobilized and a political deadline set directly for the head of government. On the other, the official count provided by the State Police and the Prosecutor’s Office of Tirana, reported by Euronews Albania, on the arrests, the proceedings opened and the injuries among law enforcement in the last twenty-four hours.

The third day of mobilization thus arrives with a higher level of tension than could be reconstructed in previous days, as measured by the figures communicated by Albanian police on the arrests and proceedings opened after the previous day’s clashes.