The Democratic Party’s third national protest, presented as support for students, began without visible tensions, but developments on the ground quickly showed that control of the crowd remained fragile. Clashes were recorded on Durrës Street between protesters, citizens and police, after which the crowd moved toward the Prime Minister’s Office.
A calm start that did not last long
At first, the protest appeared to have a different organization: lawmakers stayed more in the background, while young members of the party forum took the leading role in the march.
But the calm was broken when some citizens provoked Democratic Party supporters with chants against Sali Berisha. Their presence immediately created tension and changed the atmosphere of the gathering.
Clashes also near the student protest
The situation escalated further when signs with messages against both Edi Rama and Sali Berisha appeared near the student protest, signaling a clear rejection of party involvement.
Another citizen, although not a student, asked Democrats to stay away from the student gathering. The reaction that followed was harsh, and he was forcibly removed by Democratic Party supporters.
Lawmakers in the background, tension on the ground
Although they did not move to the front line, Democratic lawmakers did not leave the protest. They remained at the back of it, while on the ground their supporters clashed with citizens demanding distance from the opposition’s political figures.
This picture once again left open questions about the boundary between a civic protest and party involvement, especially at a gathering presented as support for students.
Trash bins set on fire and tear gas intervention
At around 3:40 p.m., protesters set fire to two trash bins. After this, police intervened with spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
After the escalation in the Durrës Street area, the protesters left there and headed toward the side of the Prime Minister’s Office, shifting the focus of the political clash to central Tirana.
The crowd’s movement toward the Prime Minister’s Office turned the protest from a march presented as support for students into a more direct political confrontation.
The events recorded on the ground showed that the tension did not remain limited to verbal clashes, but moved into physical confrontations and police intervention.