Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday (October 20) he and the whole Albanian government were open to dialogue as violent protests go on for an eighth consecutive day in the capital.

In a video published on Facebook, Rama set up chairs in front of the parliament building in Tirana as a symbol of his professed willingness to talk to protesters.

However, protesters later smashed the chairs as they arrived to demonstrate outside parliament.

Anti-government sentiment has seen demonstrators call for Rama's resignation, while government buildings and banks have been set on fire.

Rama on Sunday (October 18) 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.

The unrest over the last week, 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.

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Protesters smash chairs Albanian PM set out as a symbol of dialogue

VIDEO SHOWS: VIDEO RELEASED BY ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING HE INVITES PROTESTERS TO A DIALOGUE, SUPERVISING CHAIRS BEING SET UP AS A SYMBOL FOR DIALOGUE / PROTESTERS LATER DESTROYING THE CHAIRS

SHOWS: TIRANA ALBANIA (OCTOBER 20, 2026) (EDI RAMA VIA FACEBOOK - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SUPERVISING CHAIRS BEING SET UP AS A SYMBOL OF OPENNESS TO DIALOGUE / RAMA PLACING PLACARDS ON CHAIRS READING (Albanian): "Dialogue"

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING:

"Now anyone who wants dialogue without conditions, wherever they want, whenever they want, even here if they want. I am available, together with the government. The only ones who are not welcome are those who commit violence and those who do not distance themselves from violence."

TIRANA ALBANIA (OCTOBER 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. POLICE GUARDING CHAIRS

4. CHAIRS

5. POLICE GUARDING CHAIRS

6. PROTESTERS APPROACHING

7. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SMASHING CHAIRS