On Saturday, police fired rubber bullets while some protesters used fireworks against the security forces. “There is a lot of anger,” said activist Sidorela Vatnikaj, labelling the movement a “revolution.” “It’s not only a matter of students,” she told AFP. “It’s not only a matter of environmental struggles…It’s a matter of the state of rights and state of law.” The health ministry said 13 people were injured in Saturday’s demonstrations, including nine demonstrators, two journalists, and three police.

Organisers called for fresh protests on Sunday from 1200 GMT. Thousands of people heeded calls from organisers for students and others around Albania to attend Saturday’s rally. Groups representing university professors, artists, and opposition parties had declared their support. Many shops had closed ahead of the protests, some carrying signs on their shutters, such as: “Don’t touch. We’re with you.”

Soon after the rally began outside the education ministry, a focal point for protests, a group of demonstrators hurled stones at the building, many of whose windows had been smashed in previous days, according to an AFP reporter. Riot police immediately retaliated with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

– ‘Want a future here’ –

“We are here for one reason: we want to stay in our country and not have to dream of a life elsewhere,” Rosela Mira, a first-year medical student, told AFP. “I want to have a future here.” Her sister, a high school student, standing nearby, described deteriorating learning conditions, with 40 pupils per class and a lack of facilities such as laboratories at her school. More than 1.5 million people have left the Balkan nation since the fall of communism in the 1990s. The population now stands at 2.3 million. The average salary before tax is 930 euros ($1,026) per month.

“We have to work several jobs…to help our parents, who receive meagre pensions,” said Fabiola Nikaj, a third-year university law student. “No violence”, “Transparency”, and “Democracy in danger” read some of the banners carried by high-school teachers and university professors. Albania ranks 91st among 182 countries on watchdog Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

– Calls for ‘dialogue’ –

Anti-government protests started in May, sparked by a luxury hotel project linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, which scientists said in July had already caused irreparable damage to a once-pristine stretch of Albania’s coast. Anger over the resort development has morphed into a broader push against corruption, amid ongoing demands for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down. Rama has blamed “foreign actors” for the violence and accused both Russia and Iran of driving online misinformation. The socialist prime minister has also called for “dialogue.”

But red cushions laid on the ground around an improvised concrete table outside the government headquarters on Saturday, a symbolic gesture for dialogue, remained empty and were later set on fire by hundreds of protesters. The demonstrators have distanced themselves from any political party and regularly carry signs accusing both Rama and longtime opposition leader Sali Berisha of corruption. “Rama in prison” and “Berisha in prison,” they chanted on Saturday, blaming the entire political class for the crisis. The prime minister had earlier published photos of around 40 people, identified by their initials, whom he accused of violence, and renewed his call for the heads of dozens of public institutions to resign.

© 2024 AFP

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“We didn’t know until we heard all the noise” of chainsaws in late 2024, Negra recalls. More than 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of land below the resort were cleared to build the future server complex. Residents quickly mobilized. They were furious that no one had warned them, and they worried about noise and pollution. Their fight echoes many conflicts across the United States over data centers, which have become an issue in the November 3 vote. Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects in the first three months of 2026, according to Data Center Watch, which tracks resistance to the industry. And polls show that the hostility crosses party lines. But Republican President Donald Trump fervently backs these projects in the name of US dominance in artificial intelligence, and he chastises those who oppose them.

– ‘Drop in the bucket’ –

In Hazle Township, residents won a court-ordered halt to construction as well as a municipal moratorium. A few pieces of heavy equipment sit idle on the vast cleared tract. The logs have already been hauled away. But developer NorthPoint Development has not given up. Its letters now flood local mailboxes, saying “there is a lot of misinformation and fear that has circulated about data centers and our project.” The letters also lay out a $165 million fund for the township and its residents. The money would pay for a new police station, lower trash fees, and more. Part of it, $45 million, is to be paid directly to the 4,500 households once the data center’s first building goes into service. In the former mining town, one in six residents lives below the poverty line, according to official data. “For a young, struggling couple…living from paycheck to paycheck, $10,000 is a lot of money,” says Jeff Fasnacht, a retired high school teacher who lives in the gated community. Like Negra, he sees the offer as a bribe. He also calls it “a drop in the bucket” compared with how much value his home could lose if the project goes ahead. “This was supposed to be pristine forest forever,” sighs the golf enthusiast. Neither the developer nor township officials responded to AFP’s requests for comment.

– ‘David and Goliath’ –

Across the valley, residents of rural Sugarloaf Township are fighting a high-voltage power line that is likely intended to supply the data center. They are not eligible for the possible $10,000 check. “There’s no amount of money that can replace or take away the beauty, the tranquility that we live in,” says Annie Vinatieri. She shares a house with her in-laws, her husband, and their young son. She has been fighting the power line for almost two years. “This fight feels akin to a David and Goliath fight,” she says. She takes heart in how many residents have rallied against tech interests: “The empowerment is unbelievable.”

Erika Cook, 42, lives nearby and works remotely for an insurance company. She and her husband raise a few chickens and keep a vegetable garden. They also tap maple trees for syrup in the woods on their property. Part of that land is now the target of an eminent domain proceeding to make room for a huge transmission tower. Republicans dominate at the ballot box in this region. Cook says opposition to data centers has one virtue here: “It’s bringing people together…across party lines.”

© 2024 AFP

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The group — mostly middle-aged retirees — has been gathering every week on this street since Trump returned to power in early 2025, near the unassuming offices of Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican member of Congress who narrowly won election representing the Allentown area in 2024. They hope Mackenzie will be swept out of office in a Democratic wave in the November 3 midterm elections that many see as a referendum on Trump, whose national approval ratings have fallen into the mid-30s.

The roughly 40 people who turned out on a recent sunny October day stood on either side of the road while holding up their messages for passing motorists for about an hour, and then headed home. “I’m here with pretty much a different sign every week,” said Lynn Long, 72. “I want them to see these messages, and that maybe the ones who have supported him will say, ‘Why are they here every week? Maybe I should be paying more attention,'” she said. Long said she lives in a “very, very conservative area,” surrounded by farmers. “I don’t really know if they have changed their minds. I hope so, but I sort of doubt it.”

— ‘The energy to keep going’ — Her friend Kim Maniscalco said she has tried talking politics with her Republican friends and relatives, but gave up. “They’re not listening,” she said. “They’re very proud.” Some passing drivers honked in support and gave the protesters a thumbs-up, but others gave them the middle finger. “I love it when they give me the finger. I just laugh right at him, which of course is the last thing they want,” said Tim Gruber, 68. Nearby, a gas station sells gasoline at $4.39 a gallon, much higher than before the war against Iran launched by Trump in late February, which has choked energy supplies and driven up prices.

Long said she finds it troubling that Trump supporters seem concerned about his policies now that family budgets are being squeezed, but previously “didn’t really care about what his policies were doing to other people.” She decried the “horrible” way that armed federal agents have treated people under Trump’s immigration crackdown. “I say shame on you for not caring about other human beings,” Long said.

Daniel Nickisher said he keeps an eye out in case a vehicle tries to run them down. “Sometimes I don’t recognize my country,” the retired psychologist said quietly. But Nickisher said he believes the political winds are shifting and that the Trump label has become a liability for Republicans. The best evidence, in his view, is that his cousins, big Trump fans, have not put up any partisan signs on their property ahead of this election.

Now 80, Nickisher revealed a silver lining of Trump’s rise to power: He met fellow protester Maniscalco at the weekly roadside demonstrations, and the two have been dating for 14 months now. “He brought us together — it’s the only good thing he’s done!” Nickisher joked. Maniscalco chimed in: “When we come here, surrounded by these lovely people who want the same things we do, it really gives us the energy to keep going.”

myl/els/mjf/msp

© 2024 AFP

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Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the suspension “will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue.” “I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community,” he added, referring to the accuser’s pseudonym. Following her initial allegations, Cornell shut down the fraternity and temporarily suspended the accused male students, two of whom were later expelled.

But critics have said the university’s response was too lenient, prompting it to launch an independent review. Thousands of students and faculty members rallied at Cornell this month to demand justice for the accuser, displaying signs reading “Hold them accountable” and “Protect survivors.” Protesters have also gathered in New York, Boston, and other US cities to show support for the accuser, while social media users have shared the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe on TikTok, X, and Instagram.

– ‘Zero tolerance’ – Cornell has named a former top US prosecutor, Sally Yates, to assess the university’s response to the rape allegations. But, addressing the Cornell community, Kotlikoff said Tuesday “it is clear that we cannot wait for these findings to take action.” He said the suspension on fraternity social events was effective immediately and there would be “zero tolerance” for any violations.

“Any fraternity holding an in-house party or social event will receive an immediate emergency suspension,” Kotlikoff said. He announced other measures including the appointment of a dedicated staff member to support individuals reporting sexual misconduct and inviting specialized New York State Police detectives to probe future sexual assault allegations.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the alleged gang rape, with Governor Kathy Hochul appointing state Attorney General Letitia James to lead the case. That came after local authorities said they declined to prosecute in 2024 because the complainant’s testimony did not establish a lack of consent. In the United States, one in four female undergraduates experienced forced sexual contact or sexual contact for which they could not consent, according to a 2020 study of 33 institutions by the Association of American Universities. Mental health nonprofit the Jed Foundation has reported that men in fraternities — which are routinely criticized for shielding sexism — are more likely to commit sexual violence.

© 2024 AFP

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But the insurgents are united by an impatience with party leaders, a focus on economic inequality and corporate power, and a belief that defeating Trump should be the beginning rather than the end of their ambitions. Election forecaster Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats a 76 percent chance of taking the House of Representatives and a slimmer advantage in the Senate. In Senate primaries, leftists defeated establishment-backed rivals in Michigan and Minnesota, and democratic socialist Angie Nixon stunned a heavily favored opponent in Florida. Five House candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have won nominations in staunchly left-leaning districts, putting the group on course to grow from two members to seven.

Our Revolution, the organization that grew out of leftist icon Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaigns, says as many as 22 new allies could enter the House and six the Senate, though many face competitive races. And seven sitting Democrats are set to lose their House seats after defeats in primaries, matching the highest total this century, with at least four falling to challengers from their left.

– ‘Not junior partners’ –

Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese argues that left-wing activists are supplying much of the energy behind a prospective Democratic victory — and will expect influence in return. “We are not junior partners anymore,” he said in a statement. “If our movement delivers the majority, leadership is going to have to earn our votes.” A September survey of 1,500 Our Revolution members illustrates the mood of that activist base, although it is not representative of the wider electorate. Ninety-two percent said confronting “oligarchy” and corruption should be a priority for a Democratic Congress, while 85 percent backed universal government-run health insurance. A larger left-wing bloc could give Democratic leaders reliable votes against Trump — or use its numbers to demand greater influence over legislation, committee assignments, and the party’s leadership itself. That leverage would be greatest in a narrowly divided House, where the speaker is elected by the full chamber and a handful of holdouts can extract concessions.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become speaker, has said he does not support the DSA’s agenda but that its primary winners would be part of a broad Democratic caucus. Our Revolution has criticized him over his stance on universal health care and his ties to tech, crypto, and pro-Israel donors, warning that activists will not simply “rubber stamp the old order.”

– ‘Socialism problem’ –

Florida Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz voiced the establishment’s unease. “They could turn out to be our Freedom Caucus,” he told National Review, referring to the right-wing faction that has repeatedly tormented Republican House leaders. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has watched preferred candidates lose primaries to challengers from his left. At least four of the party’s Senate nominees have said they will not back him for leader, although no rival has launched a bid to replace him.

There are risks for the left too. The Tea Party’s breakthrough year saw several of its nominees lose Senate races Republicans had expected to win, and a poor November showing by high-profile left-wing candidates would strengthen moderates who argue that ideological ambition costs the party winnable seats. “Our party has a socialism problem,” centrist Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman — an outspoken opponent of leftist fellow Democrats, particularly those who criticize Israel — told a talk radio show in August. “I’ll be the one Democrat that calls it for what it is,” he added, “and not use the euphemism that it’s a big-tent situation.”

– Frankie TAGGART

© 2024 AFP

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Cornell said that Sally Yates, who served as deputy US attorney general from 2015 to 2017 and briefly led the Justice Department, would conduct a “detailed review” of the university’s response to the rape allegations. The accuser, referred to as Jane Doe, has claimed she was “pressured…into snorting” ketamine, assaulted and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a social club for male students. Following her initial allegations in 2024, Cornell shut down the fraternity and temporarily suspended the accused male students, two of whom were later expelled.

But critics have said the university’s response was too lenient, prompting it to launch an independent review. “It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others,” Anne Meinig Smalling, chair of the university’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “We want to understand not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence, supporting those who come forward and responding to allegations rigorously, fairly and compassionately,” she said.

Thousands of students and faculty members rallied Monday at Cornell to demand justice for the accuser, displaying signs reading “Hold them accountable” and “Protect survivors.” Meanwhile, social media users have shown support by sharing the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe on TikTok, X, and Instagram.

A criminal investigation into the alleged gang rape was reopened last week, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointing the state’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, to lead the case. That came after local authorities said they declined to prosecute in 2024 because the complainant’s testimony did not establish a lack of consent. In the United States, one in four female undergraduates reported forced sexual contact or sexual contact for which they could not consent, according to a 2020 study of 33 institutions by the Association of American Universities.

© 2024 AFP

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In her civil suit, the woman says she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted, and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a social club for male students. “It should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape. Period,” Hochul said Friday. “I support closing this loophole, and will work with the New York state legislature to accomplish this.” Several US states, including New York, have provisions in their laws making it harder for prosecutors to bring charges against someone who engaged in sex with a person who voluntarily became intoxicated to the point where they could not meaningfully give — or withhold — consent.

“It’s just astounding that this loophole still exists,” Shiwali Patel, the senior director of education justice at the National Women’s Law Center, told AFP. “It does have a huge impact on college cases because the reality is that a significant majority of campus sexual assaults do involve alcohol and drugs.” In the United States, one in four female undergraduates reported forced sexual contact or sexual contact for which they could not consent, according to a 2020 study of 33 institutions by the Association of American Universities.

– ‘Deeply disturbed’ –

Hochul slammed how the initial investigation into the complainant’s claims unfolded at Cornell, which is located in Ithaca in central New York state. “She sat for hours and told (police) exactly what happened to her. And according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100 percent confident that she had been raped,” Hochul said. “In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang-raped while intoxicated…in the fraternity house, and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?”

James, a Democrat who has clashed repeatedly with US President Donald Trump, said Friday she would “review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and if warranted, pursue prosecutions.” Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said this week that he planned to file criminal charges against the seven men. He said his office declined to prosecute in 2024 because the complainant’s testimony did not establish a lack of consent. Following the allegations, Cornell shut down the fraternity and temporarily suspended the students allegedly involved, several of whom were later expelled.

Lawyer Thomas Giuffra, who represents the alleged victim, told CBS News that his client was “incapable of consent” because she was “completely, grossly intoxicated” when she arrived at the frat house. “I’m more and more convinced there was a cover-up” to protect the university’s reputation, Giuffra added. Cornell’s student body held a campus meeting Thursday at which emotions ran high. Speakers repeatedly attacked college administrators for their handling of the case, which has garnered nationwide attention.

“No public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people. And as governor, I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug,” Hochul said Friday. “I am deeply disturbed by Cornell University’s police and how they handled this.” In Washington, Trump lashed out at James’s involvement as special prosecutor, saying: “I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at, because they won’t get a fair shake.”

© 2024 AFP

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The New York Post reported Einbinder had also been frog-marched from the demonstration organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, where protesters held banners that read “Stop Arming Israel” and “End the Genocide.” A spokesperson for the NYPD said officers had responded to reports of an “unscheduled demonstration” where people were blocking an intersection. “Members of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau issued…warnings, advising participants that they should leave,” the spokesperson stated. “They continued to block the intersection. Multiple individuals who didn’t comply were taken into custody,” she added, without providing the number of people arrested.

Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media that over 100 people had been arrested. “Over 400 people held a mass sit-in outside the UN demanding an end to the genocide and an end to US military funding to Israel,” the organization stated on X. “We refuse to stand by while war criminals are given a platform to speak and while our government spends billions on war.”

Inside the General Assembly, dozens of envoys from across the world walked out as Netanyahu began his speech, in which he assailed both enemies and allies that have crossed him in recent months, including Britain and France, which have recently moved to recognize the state of Palestine. “They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism — some colonialism. And who’s accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God’s sakes, they invented the term,” he told the assembly.

Sarandon, whose movie hits also include “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Dead Man Walking,” and “The Witches of Eastwick,” is no stranger to protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. The US actress told journalists at the Venice Film Festival this month that she was losing work because of her outspoken views. “I’ve still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still. But that’s the power structure,” she said. “I think there has been a change in terms of the understanding of the situation and the general public, but there are still very strongly held positions within my industry that are held by Zionists and who have not relaxed their feelings towards me. But I found my family, I found my people, and I’m okay,” she added.

© 2024 AFP

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The “Thrift Shop” star was quickly booted from the US tour — a decision that Sheeran said was made by tour promoters, not him — provoking outrage among musicians and pro-Palestinian activists. “What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage,” Macklemore, 43, said in an Instagram post. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention,” he added.

Macklemore announced three shows in London, Paris, and Dublin for late October, with US dates also planned, and said all proceeds will benefit pro-Palestinian organizations. “It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore,” he said. “People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves, and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”

Macklemore’s removal has opened a can of worms for the Grammy-winning Sheeran, who has typically steered clear of making any overt political statements. But last weekend at a show in Philadelphia, he broke his silence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.” “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” an emotional Sheeran told his audience, who responded with cheers.

Four other supporting artists, including American singer Finneas, have also pulled out of Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

© 2024 AFP

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She joined about 100 high school students from the Pflugerville school district in central Texas to protest the recent shooting of DoorDash delivery driver Wilber Garces Perez and chant slogans against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE has been using “way too much force,” Estella said, calling it “unnecessary.” “They even shot a man trying to do his job — like, deliver something. And I think it’s unfair.”

Garces Perez was shot and wounded by ICE agents on Sunday, and despite being transported to a hospital twice to care for the wound, as of Tuesday he remained jailed in a detention center with the bullet still inside his body, his lawyer said. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, who oversee ICE, said Tuesday on X that “ICE does not and would not advise” on hospital medical procedures, denying their role in his treatment.

The shooting is the latest violent incident that has drawn protests against ICE, which has conducted raids around the country with masked agents and unmarked cars as part of Trump’s campaign promise to curb illegal immigration. DHS reports 51,000 undocumented people were arrested in the US in August.

The lawyer for Garces Perez, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said Tuesday that “he’s still in a lot of pain, the bullet is still lodged in his body.” “We have filed a federal lawsuit and the judge has ordered that he be present at the first hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30th, and that means he won’t be deported,” she said. The ICE agent who shot Garces Perez was not wearing a body camera, Lincoln-Goldfinch added. Garces Perez told reporters by phone Monday that the bullet fractured his collarbone and was lodged near his spine, adding that it had not been removed despite his objections.

Federal agent violence against Latino men in the United States has alarmed many in the community. Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot by ICE in March 2025, in what the Texas Tribune said was the first known killing by immigration agents of an American in Trump’s second term. More recently, a Mexican man, Lorenzo Salgado, died in July after he was shot by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas.

In an X post Tuesday, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullins pointed to graffiti near the site of Garces Perez’s shooting as evidence of “hate, violence, murder.” The video he shared showed a pillar marked with expletive-laced graffiti, along with “KILL ALL PEDOS” and “KILL DONALD TRUMP.”

At the demonstration, protesters were more concerned with actual violence than graffiti. Mexican-American Gia Acosta, a 16-year-old US citizen, came to protest along with her mother, Sarah Rosales. “I’m here because we want peace. ICE agents being in our streets and our schools, in my opinion, is really ridiculous,” Acosta said. Rosales agreed. “ICE is a Trump-backed terrorist entity that is terrorizing our communities, that’s going after our immigrant neighbors, that’s going after our citizen neighbors,” Rosales said. “It needs to stop.”

– Moisés ÁVILA

© 2024 AFP

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