The protest launched by students entered its sixth day in Tirana and, after its initial peaceful moments, deteriorated into clashes with Police and a stone attack on the headquarters of the Socialist Party. The preliminary toll points to at least one injured person and several people taken to police stations, while strong police presence was again seen on the ground.
The gathering began near the Ministry of Education
Citizens and students gathered again this Sunday near the Ministry of Education, as the protest entered its sixth day. In the crowd were young people with and without masks, carrying national flags and chanting political slogans against the prime minister.
At the start, the protest also had calmer moments, with some young people dancing and singing in the street in front of Police officers. The scene changed quickly, shifting from a symbolic demonstration to open tension.
A symbolic act before the clashes
One of the protesters called on both demonstrators and Police to avoid violence. Then, as a sign of revolt, he tore up the certificate given to him by former Education Minister Besa Shahini as the winner of the History Olympiad.
The gesture was seen as a public rejection of the institutional representation of education, in a protest that is taking on an increasingly political character beyond its initial demands.
Stones thrown at Police, a journalist injured
After a few moments of calm, the situation became tense near the Ministry of Education. According to footage and reports from the scene, stones began to be thrown toward Police forces positioned near the building.
A journalist was injured in the clashes and was taken away from the area by ambulance. Police then intervened to push protesters toward the city center, and some of them were taken to police stations.
Socialist Party headquarters attacked
Later, some of the protesters stopped in front of the Socialist Party headquarters, where they began hitting the building with stones. The entrance door and several windows of the building were damaged.
The attack on the headquarters of the ruling party pushed the protest into another phase, in which the anger in the streets was no longer directed only at Police, but also at the political symbolism of the parliamentary majority.
Sunday’s events showed that the protest is moving between civic revolt and violent escalation, while institutions remain under pressure over how they are handling the situation on the ground.
At this stage, what is clearly visible is that tensions in Tirana are not subsiding, but deepening day by day.