Government
Rama puts the dialogue chairs back outside the Prime Minister's Office: no reason justifies violence, those who cause damage will pay
A day after protesters knocked them over and broke them, the prime minister set the chairs out again in front of the government building, calling on students and lecturers to distance themselves from violence.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 21, 2026, 08:25 · Updated 12:25 · 2 min read
In brief
- Edi Rama has set the dialogue chairs back up outside the Prime Minister's Office after protesters knocked them over on Tuesday.
- The prime minister acknowledges there are “1,001 grievances” but says none of them justifies violence.
- Rama warns of a legal and financial response for anyone who damages public or private property.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has once again placed chairs outside the Prime Minister's Office in Tirana as an invitation to dialogue with the students and lecturers who have been protesting for eight days. The gesture comes a day after the students and lecturers rejected his invitation and the chairs set out for talks ended up knocked over and broken during Tuesday's protest.
In the message that accompanied the return of the chairs, Rama acknowledged that the country has many problems and grievances. “There are 1,001 grievances, 1,001 troubles, 1,001 problems. There may even be 1,001 reasons to protest, but no reason justifies violence,” he said, adding that every reason for discontent is, in his view, one more argument for dialogue.
“Yesterday dialogue was answered with violence”
The head of government stressed that the right to protest is undeniable, while violence is a punishable crime. “Yesterday dialogue was answered with violence. Today dialogue is here again,” he said, declaring that his hand remains extended to all those who think differently. Rama called directly on students and professors to distance themselves from violence.
At the same time, he warned that the damage caused during the protests will not go without consequences. “The response will be legal, the response will be financial. Whoever damages common property will pay,” the prime minister said, closing his message by saying that Albania belongs to everyone and that no one's freedom can extend to where another's freedom begins.
Protesters: No dialogue, resign
The new invitation runs up against the protesters' position so far: they have said they will not sit down at the table and that their main demand remains the prime minister's resignation. For today, lecturers have announced they will join the students at 10 a.m., warning that they will be in the square every day until Rama steps down.
The protests, which began on Oct. 13 with demands over education and living conditions, have been marked by frequent clashes with police, hundreds of arrests and damage to institutions and businesses in the capital.
