Albania sees massive protest against PM Edi Rama with threats of violence

Tirana witnessed a record‑size demonstration on the 21st of the national flag‑raising day, with estimates of 50,000‑70,000 participants marching from the city centre past the prime‑minister’s office to Skanderbeg Square. Protesters chanted slogans demanding that Prime Minister Edi Rama resign by June 21 and, for the first time, warned that a “violent revolution” could follow if he does not.

Organisers said the crowd would remain in the square overnight, while Rama dismissed the demonstrators as a “crowd, an algorithmic herd”. Speakers, many from the diaspora, echoed the calls for Rama’s resignation and reiterated the threat of escalation. The protest has been described as a turning point from a regular rally to an outright uprising.