Politics
“Don't touch the students!”: Lecturers march on Parliament as medical students join the protest
On the 10th day of the protest, lecturers set out from the Polytechnic toward Parliament, while union leader Sandër Kovaçi warned they will be back on the streets tomorrow at 10 a.m.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 10:56 · Updated 12:25 · 2 min read
In brief
- Lecturers gathered outside the main building of the Polytechnic University and marched toward Parliament with solidarity banners.
- Medical students joined the protest demanding Prime Minister Rama's resignation.
- The lecturers' union has declared an open-ended teaching boycott at public universities.
The student protest entered its 10th day Thursday with a new expansion: public university lecturers marched toward Parliament, where a plenary session was under way, while students at the Faculty of Medicine announced they were joining the revolt.
The lecturers gathered outside the main building of the Polytechnic University of Tirana and set off from there toward Parliament. They carried banners reading “Students are not alone,” “When a student is struck, the future is struck,” “We are with the students” and “Don't touch the students.” According to BalkanWeb, near Parliament police tried to stop the lecturers from joining the students, and the students removed the barriers.
Kovaçi: Back to protest tomorrow
Sandër Kovaçi, head of the Lecturers' Union, said the lecturers gathered at 10 a.m., as they had announced, to express solidarity with the students and condemn the violence against them. “We are against police violence against students,” he declared, adding that “violence offers no solution.” Kovaçi called on everyone who can to join the students outside Parliament and announced that the lecturers will gather again Friday at the same time.
The union had declared an open-ended teaching boycott at public universities a day earlier. On Wednesday, classes were also boycotted in Korça and Elbasan, while in Vlora they continued as normal.
Police surround Parliament
Since the morning, the perimeter of Parliament had been sealed off with metal barriers. Euronews Albania reported that two water cannon trucks and large numbers of FNSH special forces and “Shqiponja” (Eagles) unit officers had been deployed outside Parliament. Inside the chamber, the majority voted on bills amid clashes with the opposition.
The protesters have repeatedly rejected Prime Minister Rama's invitation to dialogue and continue to demand his resignation.
