Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed “foreign hands” for the student-led protests calling for his resignation, which have turned increasingly violent, according to Al Jazeera.

In a video address on Friday, he said there are “foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace”. Police said 160 people were detained over alleged acts of violence on Thursday evening, and the protests spread to Elbasan, Shkodra and Korca, where demonstrators broke windows and set fire to rubbish bins, local media reported.