Damage to several cultural sites and spaces was reported after protests in Tirana and Durrës, while the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Blendi Gonxhja, issued a public response calling on parents to speak with their children. According to the minister’s account, the crowd included minors and teenagers who damaged public property and historical heritage.
The minister’s response after the incidents
Gonxhja said protests must not turn into vandalism and that protecting cultural heritage is a shared responsibility. He called for direct intervention by parents, arguing that some of the damage, according to him, was caused by minors and teenagers present at the protests.
At the core of his response was an appeal for political anger not to be directed at sites considered shared public and cultural property. The minister insisted that monuments and cultural institutions cannot be treated as targets in political confrontations.
Which sites were reported damaged
According to the official statement, in Tirana the exterior areas of the National Museum “House of Leaves,” spaces at the Puppet Theater, as well as premises linked to the National Historical Museum and the National Library were damaged.
An attack was also reported on the exterior area of the Et’hem Bey Mosque, described as a first-category cultural monument. In Durrës, according to the minister, works and installations of the Art Biennale were destroyed.
When protests affect public property
The case brings renewed attention to a recurring problem in tense gatherings: the line between protest and damage to public property. In his response, the minister insisted that no anger justifies the destruction of sites that belong to everyone.
However, at this stage, the public response has been based on the damage assessment presented by the institution and not on a broader picture with individualized responsibility or a full evaluation of the damage.
Cultural heritage outside political confrontation
In his message, Gonxhja described monuments, museums, libraries and cultural spaces as places of collective memory and artistic life that should not bear the cost of clashes in the streets.
He called for political differences not to affect the protection of history and culture, presenting this as a line that must not be crossed under any circumstances.
The damage to cultural institutions opens another debate about the management of protests and the real protection of public property, beyond the political statements that come after the event.
For the moment, institutions have made public only the claims of damage and the appeal to citizens, while it remains to be seen whether there will be full verification, concrete accountability and transparency about the consequences caused.