A protester in Tirana predicted on Sunday (October 18) that matters would only worsen as violent demonstrations in the Albanian capital showed no signs of easing on their sixth day.

"Not only the students, but from also us, I am no longer a student but I am in the work market, I can feel it every day - I think they’re not relenting. So I think it’s going to get even worse – the riots and the civil disobedience,” Noel Xhoxhi told Reuters in an interview.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Sunday rejected calls to step down and said street protests were a threat not to his government but to Albania's hopes of joining the European Union.

Student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana and spread to other cities in the past week.

Demonstrators demanding Rama's resignation have set fire to government buildings as well as banks, smashed shop windows and pulled up pavement stones to throw at police.

Violence erupted again on Sunday when thousands gathered outside the Education Ministry and hurled rocks at riot police who responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

The unrest, which followed months of largely peaceful protests over the summer against a luxury coastal development backed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, poses the biggest challenge yet to Rama, who has governed since 2013 and last year won a fourth term in office.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PROTESTERS / POLICE / EXPLOSIONS, FIRES AND SMOKE / COMMENTS FROM PROTESTERS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: TIRANA, ALBANIA (OCTOBER 18, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. EXPLOSION NEXT TO RIOT POLICE / SMOKE IN THE AIR / EXPLOSIONS NEXT TO POLICE / FIRES ON THE GROUND

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, NOEL XHOXHI, 34, SAYING:

“I couldn’t tell you but from what I see, from the people, from the students, from – not only the students, but from also us, I am no longer a student but I am in the work market, I can feel it every day - I think they’re not relenting. So I think it’s going to get even worse – the riots and the civil disobedience.”

3. PROTESTERS STANDING / PROTESTER THROWING OBJECT

4. PROTESTERS / SMOKE IN THE AIR

5. RIOT POLICE / TEAR GAS CANISTERS MOVING TOWARDS POLICE / SMOKE RISING

6. RIOT POLICE / HAZY AIR

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, ULIKS SKENDERAJ, 31, SAYING:

“The only time we will stop will be when prime minister Edi Rama resigns because the state has gone completely downhill – the matter of life here, everything, the economy, like education, healthcare, everything has gone downhill since many years – yeah, basically. But all of the politicians from both parties, the main parties, should be gone, basically this is what the new generation wants.”

8. PROTESTERS RUNNING / FIREWORKS GOING OFF

9. VARIOUS OF WATER CANNON BEING USED ON PROTESTERS / POLICE WALKING BEHIND WATER CANNON VEHICLE / FIREWORKS GOING OFF

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, RENEE REFFO, 24, SAYING:

“People are not getting paid the amount they’re supposed to get paid, they’re working long hours to get nothing at the end of the month; there’s no rights – there’s lower class and high class, there’s no middle class – so we’re just all trying to fight for our rights.”

11. PROTESTERS / HAZY AIR

12. BINS BURNING IN MIDDLE OF ROAD

13. PROTESTERS WALKING PAST / WATER CANNON VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD

14. WATER CANNON VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD, PUSHING BINS OUT OF THE WAY

15. RIOT POLICE MOVING BIN

16. PROTESTER USING SLINGSHOT

17. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS

18. VARIOUS OF WATER CANNON SPRAYING PROTESTERS

19. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS

20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER, JETMIR KURTI, SAYING:

“It’s corruption, fraud. There is injustice for everyone, they don’t see – we don’t see the future with this government, with its politics – with the rich people are getting richer every day, so we need a change, otherwise everyone will escape from here.”

21. VARIOUS OF WATER CANNON SPRAYING / POLICE MOVING ALONGSIDE