Tuesday’s protest in Tirana, which in its early hours was presented as a gathering of lecturers and students near the Prime Minister’s Office, later escalated into clashes at the Ministry of Education. Reports from the scene said stones were thrown, protesters entered the building’s interior, and police responded with water cannon and pepper spray.
From a gathering near the Prime Minister’s Office to tensions on the move
At the start, the protest was held in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, where lecturers and students had gathered together. But the calm lasted only briefly, and the march later moved toward the Ministry of Education.
As the crowd moved from the square toward the institution, the situation changed quickly and the protest shifted from a symbolic gathering to direct clashes amid a police presence.
Stones thrown at the building and entry into the Ministry premises
According to reports from the scene, some masked protesters threw stones toward the Ministry of Education.
Some protesters also entered the building’s interior premises, further heightening tensions in the area and turning the protest into an open episode of confrontation.
Police response with water cannon and pepper spray
Police responded with water cannon and pepper spray to disperse protesters and regain control of the situation near the institution.
The intervention came after the clash had already escalated, while in the absence of a fuller tally it remains unclear how serious the consequences of the incidents were.
Durrës Road: businesses pull down shutters after the clashes
On Durrës Road, some businesses had not opened at all from the start of the day, while others had chosen to operate normally.
But as soon as the clashes began, many of them immediately pulled down their shutters, a direct sign of the insecurity that protests and the police response create for daily activity in central Tirana.
The scene that emerged on the ground was far from the idea of a peaceful protest. From the initial gathering to the stone-throwing clashes and the forceful intervention, the day ended with heightened tensions near state institutions and immediate consequences for businesses in the area.
At this stage, public information remains limited to the dynamics of the clash and the police response, while fuller institutional clarification is still lacking on responsibilities and the handling of the situation.