Albania’s PM dismisses calls to resign as student protests spread

Prime Minister Edi Rama condemns ‘chaos’ as protests continue for a third day in the capital and spread to other cities.Albania’s prime minister has dismissed calls for his resignation as thousands of protesters clash with riot police in the capital for the third day in a row, leaving government buildings damaged.“My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a written statement to the Reuters news agency, following protester demands for him to resign.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Land sold for Kushner-backed Albania resort suspected of forged deedslist 2 of 3‘Flamingo Revolution’ enters 100th day against Kushner-linked resortlist 3 of 3Protesters, police clash in Albania over Trump-linked projectend of list“The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate ‌to complete negotiations on European Union membership,” Rama added on Thursday.This comes as riot police used water cannons and tear gas against crowds of protesters in the capital, Tirana. Demonstrators have accused officials of corruption and neglecting education, ⁠expressing anger about the sale of parts of Albania’s southern coastline to a luxury resort development backed by United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.Tirana’s streets were littered with burnt-out rubbish bins, shattered bus stops and broken traffic lights. In the capital’s central Skanderbeg Square, police hit fleeing protesters with batons as tourists looked on.Thursday’s protests also spread to several smaller cities as students joined university boycotts.Rama, whose government denies corruption, said he would be ready to discuss rising education costs but rejected the calls to resign.“Perhaps some forces, at home and abroad, do not want Albania to succeed as a forerunner for EU membership. But I will not allow violence to derail Albania’s European future,” Rama said in his statement to Reuters.Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has denied allegations of government corruption [File: Leon Neal/Getty Images]‘Everyone will certainly pay’Rama earlier posted a video on his Facebook page showing him touring the burnt-out remains of an office at a university campus in Tirana.