College of Europe looted and torched during Albanian student protests
The European school's Tirana office was broken into on Wednesday evening.
Tirana, Albania has witnessed a wave of student protests that have led to the College of Europe's Tirana office being looted, destroyed, and torched on Wednesday evening. The office, which trains future EU civil servants, was found broken into, ransacked, and engulfed in flames. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama condemned the destruction from an Instagram video, stating that he did not believe the students were responsible but accused political opponents of being behind the violence.
The protests began in late May against a proposed luxury resort linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and alleged corruption within the government. However, they escalated on Tuesday and Wednesday when students clashed with police, set fire to public and private institutions, and damaged infrastructure throughout the capital. The Ministry of Justice, Education, Finance, and numerous businesses were among those affected.
Protests affected multiple cities, with masked protestors clashing with police and causing damage, fires, and violence throughout the country. Many businesses shuttered for the day, with owners displaying signs of solidarity. The student protests demand Rama's resignation and a fresh start for Albania, including economic, educational, governmental, electoral, and legal reforms.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
