Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has flatly refused to resign as citizens storm government buildings for a third straight day — and his reasoning tells you everything about who he actually works for.

Rama faced down an ultimatum from protest groups demanding his resignation by 1:00 pm Thursday, according to Breitbart. His response, delivered in writing to Reuters and reported by the Guardian, was telling: "The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership." Not a betrayal of Albanians demanding affordable education or accountable government — a betrayal of the EU accession project.

That's the stake. Citizens are in the streets over cratered university conditions and sky-high tuition, and their prime minister's first loyalty is to a supranational body in Brussels.

The clashes have been severe. Police deployed tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators marching through Tirana. Protesters smashed into government buildings and set at least one ablaze. Authorities arrested 65 people Wednesday on suspicion of attacking police and destroying property, with 51 officers injured. Tirana's public hospital reported seven protesters sought treatment. Protests have spread to Shkodra and Korce, with students boycotting classes nationwide.

Rama toured the burnt-out office of the College of Europe — a European Union institution — and posted video to Facebook. His message, as Breitbart reported: "Until yesterday, this was the office of the College of Europe, the school of a united Europe. Today this is the ruin left by hands that are not, and can never be, the hands of students." He blamed opposition figures for the violence.

The Guardian framed the earlier months of demonstrations as "mostly peaceful" — a formulation readers will recognize from domestic coverage of unrest closer to home. What both outlets agree on is the spark: a luxury resort project on Albania's southern coast backed by Jared Kushner, which scientists said has already caused irreparable environmental damage. Breitbart identifies it as "linked to US President Donald Trump's family." The Guardian notes it faces legal challenges. Neither outlet explores why a foreign-backed luxury development on pristine coastline proceeds over local objections — but the pattern is familiar enough.

The EU delegation in Tirana issued the expected statement condemning "violent escalation" and the destruction of property. "Violence has no place in democracies," the delegation said. On Wednesday, the EU also called for a prompt investigation of allegations of excessive police force — after it condemned the protesters. The institutional sequence matters.

Rama won a fourth term last year. He insists governments change through elections, not revolution. Fair enough as a principle. But when a leader frames every domestic grievance as a threat to his EU membership project — when he tells citizens their concerns will be addressed only insofar as they don't "derail Albania's European future" — he's telling them who comes first. And it isn't them.

Albania aims for EU entry by 2028. The question now is whether the Albanian people get a say in what that membership costs them — or whether the deal was already made without them.