Albanian police fire apparent rubber bullets as student protests enter fifth day

Summary

Albanian police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets at protesters in Tirana on Saturday, the fifth day of mass student demonstrations demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama step down, The Straits Times reports. The South China Morning Post reports that Reuters footage showed police firing a shotgun toward crowds outside the education ministry, and that pellets hit two Reuters journalists and several protesters; it described the incident as an escalation. The BBC reports that police also fired tear gas and water cannons at crowds outside the Ministry of Education, where students were among the protesters. Al Jazeera reported the previous day that Rama blamed foreign hands for unrest as riot police clashed with protesters for a fourth day, amid demonstrations over corruption and poor university conditions. This follows reports that Rama rejected calls to resign as student protests and clashes with police continued for a third day.

Timeline

1. Al Jazeera

   16 Oct 2026, 23:27 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Rama blamed foreign hands for unrest as riot police clashed with protesters for a fourth day, amid protests over corruption and poor university conditions.

2. The Straits Times

   17 Oct 2026, 12:05 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets on Saturday, the fifth day of mass student demonstrations demanding Rama step down.

3. BBC

   17 Oct 2026, 13:11 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reports that police fired tear gas and water cannons at crowds outside the Ministry of Education, where students were among those protesting.

4. South China Morning Post

   17 Oct 2026, 16:05 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Reuters footage showed police firing a shotgun toward crowds outside the education ministry, and that pellets hit two Reuters journalists and several protesters, marking an escalation.