The eighth protest in Tirana again ended in tension, after the government’s attempt to steer the gathering back to the narrative of “dialogue” was rejected by protesters. From the boulevard in front of the Prime Minister’s Office to the Ministry of Education, Skanderbeg Square and the area near the Orthodox Cathedral, the evening brought repeated clashes, stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails, and a police response with tear gas, pressurized water and pepper spray.
The dialogue invitation was not accepted
At the start of the gathering, chairs were symbolically placed in front of the Prime Minister’s Office for dialogue, while Manjola Hasa, director of the Agency for Media and Information, repeated Prime Minister Edi Rama’s invitation to students, young people and citizens who wanted to discuss matters with the head of government.
But the scenario offered by the government was not accepted. Protesters overturned the chairs placed in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, making their rejection clear, and then marched toward the Ministry of Education. University lecturers, who had initially gathered on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, did not go on to join the rest of the protest.
First clashes at the Ministry of Education
The first tensions appeared precisely at the Ministry of Education, where masked protesters threw stones at police officers. After that, police intervened to disperse them.
Later, protesters returned to Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, where one group damaged the structure of a bus stop and used it as a barricade against law enforcement forces. Piles of stones were also seen in the area, a sign that the clashes were entering another phase.
Tear gas, pressurized water and rubber bullets near the Prime Minister’s Office
After a brief moment of calm, the situation escalated again. According to the official version, protesters threw stones at police and Molotov cocktails toward the Prime Minister’s Office, while police responded with tear gas, pressurized water and rubber bullets.
After the intervention, some of the protesters dispersed, while police vehicles were also seen on the ground moving in pursuit of groups that had left the area. The strategy of the law enforcement forces remained the same as the previous day: rapid intervention with gas and water, especially against masked groups.
Tensions shifted to several areas of the capital
At around 7:30 p.m., protesters gathered again on Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, but the clashes later shifted toward Skanderbeg Square and the area near the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. There, Molotov cocktails and fireworks were thrown toward police.
After 8:00 p.m., tensions returned once again in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. There was shoving between protesters and officers, while police used pepper spray and tear gas to push them away from the area. At this stage, the detention of protesters on the ground also began.
Another clash in the evening
At around 9:00 p.m., protesters returned once more to Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, where another Molotov attack on police was reported. Law enforcement forces intervened immediately with two water cannon vehicles, using water and tear gas to prevent any approach toward the Prime Minister’s Office building.
The full tally of detentions and measures taken during the evening was not immediately clear, while the eighth protest left behind another night of tension in the capital, amid political rejection and forceful management in the streets.
The evening’s events showed once again that the attempt to package the crisis as an invitation to dialogue did not produce any easing of tensions on the ground.
Instead of a political solution, Tirana once again saw the familiar scene: protesters dispersed by force, police movements across several areas, and a capital kept under pressure until the late hours.