The entrance to Durrës Street turned into a flashpoint after masked protesters placed railings torn from the sidewalks into the road and tried to block the passage of vehicles. Repeated tensions between the crowd and police were reported at the scene.
Railings in the road and an attempted blockade
At the entrance to Durrës Street, a group of protesters placed railings removed from the sidewalks in the middle of the road. The move aimed to block vehicle traffic at one of the access points to the area.
Footage and information from the scene show that the protesters concentrated precisely on this stretch, turning the situation into an open clash over control of the public space.
Clashes with hard objects and police intervention
During the tensions, firecrackers and hard objects were thrown toward police forces. This is the version reported from the scene for the most intense phase of the confrontation.
On the other side, police intervened with tear gas to disperse the protesters. The use of this measure pushed the crowd to retreat temporarily, but without ending the situation on the ground.
Temporary dispersal, then a return to the point of tension
After the tear gas intervention, the protesters dispersed for a time. However, a short while later they gathered again in the same area, showing that the tension had not subsided.
This second movement by the crowd kept the situation unstable and left open the risk of further clashes at the entrance to Durrës Street.
Face to face at the entrance to Durrës Street
At the time of reporting, the protesters were once again at the entrance to Durrës Street, facing police forces. The scene remained tense, with no clear resolution in sight.
The picture emerging from this confrontation is that of a protest being managed with forceful means and counteractions in the street, with direct consequences for public order and movement in the area.
The clashes in this part of Tirana once again highlight the cost of managing protests on the ground, where tension quickly moves from road blockades to the use of tear gas.
It remains unclear whether there are any injured people or detainees from this phase of the clash, while the standoff between protesters and police continues in the area.