Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has condemned the violence and property damage accompanying student and high school student protests in Tirana, accusing the opposition of being behind the unrest and insisting that the acts were not committed by students.
Speaking from the damaged offices of the College of Europe at Tirana’s Pyramid, Rama described the destruction as a symbol of what the capital and the country were experiencing during what he called difficult hours.
“Today, this is the wreckage caused by hands that are not, and can never be, the hands of students,” Rama said in a video posted on Facebook. “Students are the future. They are the ones who look ahead and want to go further and faster.”
The prime minister said his government remained willing to meet with students, discuss their concerns and seek solutions.
Rama accused the opposition of exploiting the protests to undermine Albania’s progress and reverse its course toward European Union membership.
“These are other hands — the hands that try to bring Albania down whenever it rises,” he said, accusing the opposition of seeking to turn the country back from the path toward the EU.
Describing the recent developments as a difficult period for Albania, Rama said the country would continue its European integration efforts and would not allow those responsible for the destruction to derail that process.
He also warned that anyone involved in the violence would face legal consequences.
“Anyone who thinks the law is far away is mistaken. Everyone is accountable before the law. Whoever had a hand in this will pay, because Albania will never go backwards again,” Rama said.
His remarks followed the second day of escalating protests in the Albanian capital, during which clashes and damage to public and private property were reported.
Despite the tensions, Rama reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with students, saying that Albania’s future belonged to them and reaffirming the government’s commitment to the country’s path toward the European Union.
