Albanian PM Rejects Resignation Calls as Student Protests Spread

PM Edi Rama Condemns 'Chaos' as Protests Enter Third Day in Capital and Spread to Other Cities

Albania's prime minister rejected calls to resign as thousands of protesters clashed with riot police in the capital for a third straight day, damaging government buildings.

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"The alternative is to betray the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on EU membership," Rama added on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the anti-riot police used water cannons and tear gas against the crowd of protesters in Tirana, the capital. Demonstrators have accused officials of corruption and neglect of education and expressed anger over the sale of parts of Albania's southern coastline to a luxury resort backed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The streets of Tirana were littered with burnt trash cans, broken bus stops and broken traffic lights. In the capital's central Skanderbeg Square, police beat fleeing protesters with batons as tourists looked on.

Thursday's protests spread to several smaller cities as students joined the university boycott.

Rama, whose government denies corruption, said he was ready to talk about increasing education spending but rejected calls to resign.

Rama had previously posted a video on his Facebook page showing him visiting the charred remains of an office on a university campus in Tirana.

"Until yesterday, this was the office of the College of Europe, the School of United Europe," he said in the video, his first public comment since the protests began.

"Everyone is accountable to the law and anyone involved in this chaos will definitely pay."

The prime minister was due to meet his party's parliamentary group earlier on Thursday when protesters issued an "ultimatum" demanding his resignation by 13:00 (11:00 GMT).

But even before the deadline, protesters had already started clashing with police, building makeshift barricades and setting garbage cans on fire.

Our prime minister is the meaning of the word corruption

"Our prime minister means corruption. You can only get a job in your field if you know a man," he said, his face covered by a mask.

Protesters called for Rama's resignation, saying no one listened to their concerns during a summer of mostly peaceful protests over a Kushner-linked luxury resort development.

Police said 65 people were arrested during Wednesday's protests on suspicion of "attacking police officers, institutions, public and private property."

Tirana hospitals treated 89 people, including 61 police officers, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Four officers and two protesters remained hospitalized, with one demonstrator and two officers expected to undergo surgery.

"Attacks on institutions, destruction of public property and threats to public security have nothing to do with the legitimate demands of the students," Rama said.