TIRANA — The College of Europe’s Tirana office was one of the latest casualties of escalating student protests that have gripped the Albanian capital.
The office for the school, which serves as a training ground for future EU civil servants, was broken into, looted and set on fire on Wednesday evening.
“Until yesterday, this was the office of the College of Europe,” Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in an Instagram video delivered from the burned-out shell of the office. Rama’s own workplace is a stone’s throw from the Pyramid complex housing the College of Europe.
Rama said he did not believe the damage was down to the students. “Students are the future, they are the ones who look ahead, who want to go further and faster,” he said.
Instead he accused his political opponents of being behind the destruction, claiming that those responsible were attempting to undermine Albania’s progress. The opposition parties deny any wrongdoing.
The College of Europe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Protests in Albania have been ongoing since late May against the proposed development of a luxury resort linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and alleged government corruption. But the situation escalated on Tuesday and Wednesday as students from around the country clashed with police, set fire to government buildings and businesses linked to powerful businessmen, and damaged traffic lights, bus stops, and the city’s roads.
The Delegation of the European Union to Albania released a statement Thursday morning, condemning the destruction of private and public property and asking protestors to exercise restraint. “Violence has no place in democracies,” they wrote.
Large swathes of the city were damaged during over 14 hours of protests Wednesday. The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance, as well as a number of government institutions, banks, and private businesses, were broken into and set on fire. In centrally located Skanderbeg Square, protesters torched a large under-construction tower block, with flames reaching several floors.
With the destruction came many reports of police brutality, including against regular citizens and journalists. Several media workers were prevented from filming or had their equipment confiscated. On Tuesday, a young man required emergency surgery for a severely broken leg following an altercation with police.
At least 89 people required hospital treatment, including about 51 police officers, while many more protestors have reported minor injuries.
On Thursday, protests started again from 8 a.m. as students across Tirana boycotted lessons and marched toward the Ministry of Education. Police immediately dispersed demonstrators with tear gas and water cannons, while the unrest continued to spread to other parts of the capital, particularly near government institutions and the headquarters of Rama’s Socialist Party.
A parliamentary session for Thursday was canceled after students said they would not allow any deputies to access the assembly.
Protests also spread to other parts of Albania. Masked protestors clashed with police in multiple cities with damage, fires, and violence reported across the country.
Many businesses throughout the capital were shuttered for the day, with owners putting up signs saying “we are with you, please don’t burn our businesses.”
The students, and the so-called “Flamingo Revolution” protestors are demanding the resignation of Rama and the entire government, and a new start for Albania — including economic, educational, government, electoral and legal reform.
Rama told Reuters on Thursay that he has no intention of resigning.
