The protest by students and young people outside the Ministry of Education escalated rapidly, turning into a fierce clash between demonstrators and police. Pyrotechnic objects being thrown, flames at buildings and intervention with water cannon were reported from the scene, while the situation has raised serious questions over the institutional management of the crisis.
Large gathering outside the Ministry of Education
Students from the University of Medicine, UBT, the Polytechnic University and the Faculty of Law gathered outside the Ministry of Education, where tensions began early. According to footage and reports from the ground, pyrotechnic objects were thrown toward the building, while police were positioned in front of the institution’s entrance.
High school students from the “Partizani” school also joined the protest, broadening the scale of the unrest beyond the universities. The presence of young people from several levels of education has made the situation even more delicate for the authorities.
Clashes and forced entry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences
Tensions were also reported at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, where some protesters broke the main door and entered the interior premises. This development shows that the protest did not remain only at the level of symbolic gathering, but moved into direct acts against public buildings.
It remains unclear whether sufficient preventive measures were taken by educational institutions and law enforcement structures, while the situation on the ground appears to have gone out of control at several points.
Flames and smoke at targeted institutions
During the escalation of the protest, demonstrators set fire to a financial institution, while the blaze, according to reports, grew to large proportions. At the same time, black smoke was also seen coming from the interior of the Ministry of Education.
These episodes significantly worsen the toll of the protest and increase pressure on the institutions, which are facing not only unrest in the streets, but also questions about their response and responsibility in managing the situation.
Police use water cannon, stone-throwing continues
According to the official version of the intervention on the ground, police dispersed protesters with water cannon. On the other hand, stone-throwing continued in the area outside the ministry, turning the protest into an open scene of confrontation.
Intervention by law enforcement in such situations is usually justified as necessary to maintain security, but today’s escalation shows that the authorities’ approach failed to calm the situation on the ground. On the contrary, the footage points to a crisis that has deepened.
Boycott in other districts too, but not everywhere
The protest has also had a chain effect outside Tirana. At the universities of Elbasan and Shkodra, a classroom boycott has begun as a sign of solidarity with the students in the capital.
Meanwhile, in Durrës, Vlorë and Gjirokastër, classes continued normally. This contrast shows that the protest’s impact differs from one city to another and that the mobilization, at least at this stage, has not taken on the same strength across the country.
The scale the protest took outside the Ministry of Education pushes the crisis beyond routine student dissatisfaction and places it at the center of public debate over the response of institutions.
Amid the flames, smoke, stones and police intervention, what remains visible is the failure to keep the situation under control without descending into serious clashes.