Students and citizens intensify Albania’s ‘Flamingo Revolution’ protests against government and development plan

What started in May as a campaign against a luxury tourism development linked to Affinity Partners has evolved into the “Flamingo Revolution,” a nationwide protest movement in Albania. Demonstrators cite environmental threats to wetlands near Sazan Island, alleged corruption, deteriorating public services and a deepening cost-of-living crisis. In mid-October, high-school and university students added demands for lower education costs and better employment prospects, intensifying street battles that saw windows smashed, trash bins set ablaze and a Raiffeisen bank branch damaged.

Riot police responded with tear gas, water cannons, baton charges and reportedly rubber bullets, leaving roughly 295 people injured, including about 186 officers, and prompting over 1,000 detentions. The protests spread beyond Tirana to Durrës, Shkodër, Lezhë, Vlora, Elbasan, Korçë and Gjirokastër, targeting the Education Ministry, Interior Ministry, Supreme Court and the Socialist Party headquarters. Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls to resign, framed the unrest as a threat to Albania’s EU accession ambitions, and accused foreign “dark forces” of exploiting the situation, while offering limited dialogue on student concerns.