Student protests enter 5th day in Albania as police conduct comes under review

TIRANA, ALBANIA - OCT. 17, 2026: Student protests in Albania entered their fifth day Saturday, with arrests and property damage reported in Durres as the country’s police watchdog reviewed suspected violations by officers.

In Tirana, students were expected to gather at their universities before marching toward the Education Ministry for a rally scheduled for 11 am (0900GMT), public broadcaster RTSH reported.

Organizers called for a nationwide mobilization involving university and high school students, other citizens and representatives of the Albanian diaspora.

Police deployed water cannons near the ministry and prepared to establish a security cordon. The situation was initially calm before protesters removed sidewalk railings and placed them across the road.

In Durres, high school students gathered outside the municipal building for a third consecutive day, throwing stones at the building, setting garbage bins ablaze and damaging railings.

Protesters later broke windows at an Albanian Post building while marching toward the police station. Police intervened and made arrests before the crowd dispersed. No arrest figures were provided.

In Korca, crowds of mainly high school students demonstrated for a third straight day, denouncing a lack of opportunities to build their futures in Albania and what they described as a lack of justice.

The Police Supervision Agency said it was examining suspected legal violations by State Police personnel during protests in Tirana and other cities.

Agency staff documented incidents on the ground and collected footage from media outlets and social networks to establish the circumstances and determine responsibility.

Cases involving suspected criminal offenses were being handled under the direction of prosecutors in Tirana, the agency said.