Albanian students reject talks with PM as anti-government protests enter 11th day

Protesters gathered outside the prime minister's office in Tirana, rejecting calls for dialogue with Rama for the fourth consecutive day, Albanian public broadcaster RTSH reported.

The latest demonstrations are part of a broader protest movement that began in May over controversial luxury development projects in protected coastal areas, including a planned resort linked to Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law.

The movement has since expanded into a wider challenge to Rama's government, driven by frustration over corruption, rising education costs, poor university conditions and limited job prospects for young Albanians, according to Reuters, Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera.

On October 13, protesters threw bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry in Tirana, while police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Several demonstrators were detained, Reuters reported.

The movement has largely organized through social media without a centralized leadership structure. Protesters have also expressed dissatisfaction with Albania's traditional opposition parties.

Rama has accused foreign actors and the decentralized antifascist movement known as "antifa" of fueling the unrest. However, security researcher Redion Qirjazi told Deutsche Welle that no verifiable evidence had been presented of an organized antifa structure coordinating the protests.

On October 23, doctors, pharmacists, dentists, nurses and other health care workers from Albania and its diaspora publicly backed the student demonstrators.

"We cannot remain silent in the face of violence against young people and violations of their right to peaceful protest," the health care workers said in a statement cited by RTSH.

They called for Rama's resignation and the formation of a transitional technocratic government.

RTSH reported that Friday's demonstration remained peaceful, although attendance was somewhat lower than at previous gatherings.