Albanians take to the streets in protest for the 35th night in a row
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TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive demonstration was held for the 35th night in a row in Albania’s capital on Saturday, with protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the temporary replacement of his government, constitutional reform and an end to corruption.
Media images showed tens of thousands of people marching along Tirana’s main boulevard toward Skanderbeg Square. There has been no independent verification of the number of protesters.
The nightly demonstrations began over a luxury coastal resort development project in a protected natural area linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but have since evolved into broader anti-government and anti-corruption protests. The protesters were chanting “New Albania” and “Edi Rama, resign.”
The march was heavy on symbolism. A tall bust of Rama was erected and later toppled with the help of a rope, a gesture reminiscent of the February 1991 toppling of the statue of longtime communist dictator Enver Hoxha, an event commemorated on Feb. 20 each year. Since Saturday’s protest coincided with Rama’s 62nd birthday, some protesters carried “birthday cakes” made of cement, an allusion to the building projects. There was also an ironic “happy birthday” song for Rama.
Some protesters carried pink flamingo balloons, a reference to the birds supposedly threatened by the resort construction project. The demonstrations have long been dubbed “the pink flamingo revolution.”
After protesting for about two hours, a large group marched to a police station, demanding the release of people arrested during Thursday’s protest near parliament.
Protesters broke the windows of the police station while police responded with a water cannon to disperse the crowd.