The 94th protest outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana has ended, but tensions did not subside with the dispersal of the crowd. Some of the demonstrators marched toward Police Station No. 1 and No. 3, where they are demanding the release of people escorted by police during the gathering.
March after the gathering
After the gathering outside the Prime Minister’s Office building ended, the demonstrators began moving on foot through the streets of the capital. Their destination was Police Station No. 1, while according to initial information some also headed to Police Station No. 3.
Their demand is tied to the release of people escorted during the protest, a development that immediately shifted the focus from the gathering to the way police intervened.
Clashes and tear gas
The gathering was marked by tensions and clashes with police officers. According to the official version on the ground, the police intervention came after warnings over a megaphone.
Tear gas was also used during the clash, escalating the situation beyond a routine protest in front of government headquarters. The use of force and the escorts remain key points of the incident.
Protest on two fronts
Today’s action did not take place at a single point. One group of demonstrators remained in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, where speeches continued, while another group positioned itself near the rear entrances of the building.
This division into two fronts made management of the protest more tense and increased the clashes between demonstrators and police in several areas at once.
The 94th gathering in a row
Today’s protest was the 94th in a row outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Tirana, showing the continuity of the mobilization, but also the wearing out of a formula that is increasingly often accompanied by clashes and police intervention.
At the center of the day’s developments remain the escorts carried out and the demonstrators’ demand for the release of the people detained by police during the gathering.
The move toward the police stations effectively extended the protest even after its formal end.
Beyond the announcement of the crowd’s dispersal, the event left questions about the proportionality of the police intervention and how the escorts were handled during the gathering.