Fire breaks out at Albanian Education Ministry as protests enter third day | Education News

At least 16 additional protesters were arrested after clashes with riot police.

Protesters started a fire at Albania’s Ministry of Education overnight, after a second day of student protests in the country’s capital Tirana continued unabated.

Protesters broke in Tuesday night and set a fire inside the building, police said, adding that the violence resulted in 16 arrests.

Protesters continued to gather on Wednesday. Hundreds of students gathered and threw stones at the ministry, demanding better university conditions and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In an attempt to disperse the crowd, riot police responded with tear gas and water cannons.

Protesters also tore down nearby fences and used them to block the street.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Education Ministry on Tuesday, after violent protests broke out in Tirana on Monday.

“Protesting is a legitimate right, but it cannot be used as an excuse for violence, destruction of the city or horrible fighting in the middle of the road,” Deputy Prime Minister Albana Kociu said on Facebook.

“I call on students and all honest citizens who believe in the right to demonstrate: distance yourself from violence and vandalism!

“The Flamingo Revolution”

Besar Likmeta, editor-in-chief of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania, told Al Jazeera that “this protest follows four months of daily rallies on the capital’s main streets”, known as the “Flamingo Revolution”.

The movement began in protest against a resort project in a protected area in southern Albania linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The plan has fueled anger over corruption allegations and a lack of transparency, with protesters demanding Rama’s resignation.

“But then they spread into broader demands about better opportunities and the fight against corruption, the lack of opportunities for young people, and in particular a sign of increasing disenfranchisement among this young generation of Albanians,” Likmeta added.

Students told local media that the protests targeted university conditions, tuition fees and the lack of support for young people.