Prime Minister Edi Rama struck a harsh tone at the Ministry of Education, where in a meeting with the heads of Tirana’s high schools he repeated the official version of the protests, called them infiltrated by violence, and opened another political front with attacks on the media. At the same time, he asked school principals to compile a detailed “diary” of what has happened over these days.
The government insists on the violence narrative
Rama said the Ministry of Education building had been targeted by a “real aggression,” referring to stones thrown during the protests. According to him, there is an attempt to create the idea that this is a protest about education and students, while he claimed that the violence is linked neither to pupils nor to students as a majority.
The prime minister drew a distinction between the right to protest and violent acts, but at the same time broadened the accusation by speaking of groups that, according to his version, keep the city in terror and are linked to new currents of political extremism.
Accusations of political influence and “hybrid war”
In his remarks, Rama linked the developments around the protest to broader political interests, claiming that the situation is being exploited to slow the country’s progress and the process of negotiations with the European Union.
He went even further when he spoke of “foreign actors” and a “hybrid war” that, according to him, feeds on real social concerns such as the cost of living, housing and insecurity about the future. He did not provide further details for these claims in this appearance.
“More police officers injured than protesters,” according to Rama
One of the main points of the statement was the prime minister’s claim that the police had not used disproportionate force. He argued that, in such cases, the number of injured protesters should have been higher than that of the officers.
According to the figures provided by Rama, by the time of the statement nearly 200 police officers had received hospital treatment, compared with 80 injured protesters. He added that less than half of the latter are students. These figures were presented by the prime minister himself as part of the government’s official version of the toll from the clashes.
Principals asked to write a “diary” of events
At the meeting with high school heads, Rama said it had been agreed with the minister and advisers that each of them should prepare as detailed a description as possible of what has happened during these days.
According to him, this “diary” is not intended to be sent to criminal justice institutions, but to help create a full picture of the events and to understand what happened. This request comes at a time when the climate around the protests is politically charged and when any involvement of the education administration in the official reading of events may raise questions.
Frontal attack on the media
The most politically forceful part of Rama’s remarks was his attack on the media. He said that “worse than the aggression of stones is that of the media,” accusing them of lining up behind interests that, according to him, are connected to money, politics and power.
The prime minister claimed that social concern is being used to strike at the government and to impose violence as a political tool. Here too, he did not name specific media outlets, but framed the debate as a direct clash between the government and the way the protests are being reported.
Beyond the strong political language, Rama’s statement showed that the government is insisting on reading the crisis mainly through the lens of order, infiltration and external influences, while only partially acknowledging the grievances fueling the protest.
In this context, it remains to be seen whether the call for “diaries” in schools and the attacks on the media will serve to clarify the situation or deepen an even more polarized climate.