DOMINANT ANGLE
Belgrade describes a neighboring capital on the brink of chaos: the Serbian press shows barricades, water cannons, and burning buildings in Tirana, and links the crisis to the "flamingo revolution".
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to Blic, the high school and university student protests are in their third day and have spread to Durrës, Shkodër, Kukës, Korçë and Vlorë; the Parliament session has been cancelled.
- 02
Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party, is demanding the resignation of Edi Rama, who is refusing, citing that Albania held elections last year, "not a revolution" (Blic).
- 03
Politika links the crisis to the movement launched on May 31 against the Zvernec complex, linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, known as the "flamingo revolution".
ANALYSIS
Belgrade, October 15, 2026. The Serbian dailies Blic and Politika are running dramatic headlines about Albania: "Tirana in flames" for Politika, "Tirana has become a war zone" for Blic. The story begins on the evening of Wednesday, October 14, when, according to Blic, the Albanian capital offered scenes that "resemble a war zone".
Politika, citing the "Tirana Times", describes thousands of protesters and police clashing around the government headquarters, the Ministry of Education, parliamentary offices, and several commercial premises in the city center. Protesters erected and set fire to barricades, threw paving stones, and the police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Near the Pyramid, a commercial premises on the ground floor of one of the two towers caught fire; the extent of the damage, the two newspapers specify, remains to be established.
On the third day, Blic reports, protests by high school and university students continued in several cities: Tirana, Durrës, Shkodër, Kukës, Korçë, and Vlorë, while high school students in Kamza boycotted classes. In front of the Ministry of Education and then in front of Parliament, stones were thrown, trash cans were burned, and signs were torn down; the police used water cannons and tear gas. The parliamentary session scheduled at the same time was canceled. On Durrës Street in Tirana, businesses were attacked.
On the political front, Blic reports that the leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, has demanded the immediate resignation of Edi Rama. The latter refused, recalling that governments change through democratic elections and that Albania voted last year: "not a revolution". Politika notes that the initial demands (state of education, cost of living, lack of jobs) have taken on a distinctly political character: protesters are demanding the departure of the Prime Minister and the entire government, accused of corruption and links to organized crime.
Both newspapers put the episode into the context of the movement launched on May 31 against a tourist complex in the protected coastal area of Zvernec, linked to projects by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, dubbed the "flamingo revolution". Blic emphasizes the symbolic weight of the attacks on luxury towers, associated in the Albanian public debate with suspicions of money laundering. Politika also reports that police officers have been suspended for their conduct towards protesters.
