▲ Anti-government protests in Tirana, Albania
Street protests in the Eastern European Balkan nation of Albania, which initially erupted in opposition to a resort development project by U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, have expanded to include demands from university students for improved educational conditions.
According to foreign media outlets including AFP on the 13th (local time), hundreds of university students staged a protest in the Albanian capital of Tirana, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and improvements to higher education environments.
Police stated that some protesters threw stones at the Ministry of Education building in central Tirana, breaking windows, while others attempted to breach the building's courtyard, damaging the outer fence and gates.
Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at police officers, and police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, detaining 23 people.
Police reported that six police officers and one reporter were injured in the clashes.
AFP reported that not only university students but also citizens of various age groups joined the protest that day.
In Albania, a small nation in the southeastern Balkan peninsula with a population of about 2.4 million, anti-government protests have continued since June over a large-scale tourism facility development project linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump.
At the center of the controversy is an ultra-luxurious resort development project pursued by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.
Kushner's side is pursuing a project to build luxury hotels and villas on Sazan Island and adjacent coastal areas along the Adriatic Sea in southern Albania.
However, environmental groups and local residents are strongly protesting because the planned development site includes protected wetlands that serve major habitats for migratory birds such as flamingos.
Land-clearing and excavation work using heavy machinery has already begun in some coastal areas.
Citizens raising suspicions of opacity and corruption in the development project have taken to the streets carrying pink flamingo models, and their so-called "flamingo protests" have rapidly spread to the capital city of Tirana.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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