The seventh protest in Tirana, initially sparked by student anger and later expanded with broader citizen participation, again turned into a day of fierce clashes in the capital. The peak of the tension was recorded with the attack on the Court of Appeal and later with incidents near the Interior Ministry, while police responded with tear gas, water cannons and detentions.
From gathering to open tension
The protest began in the morning under heightened security measures and with police checks in central Tirana. In Skanderbeg Square, the bags of several young people were checked, after which protesters gathered in front of the Ministry of Education.
In the early hours, the gathering unfolded without serious incidents, with songs, dancing and chants directed at police officers. But around 12:30, the situation changed when some protesters began removing paving slabs and stones from the sidewalk, signaling a shift from a symbolic gathering to open confrontation.
Tear gas, water cannons and pursuits through the capital’s streets
Around 13:00, according to the official version, stones and firecrackers were thrown at police. The response from law enforcement came with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd near the Ministry of Education.
The clashes then moved to Durrës Street and the area of “Kafe Flora,” where police used a megaphone to call on citizens to leave the road and continued the intervention. Protesters tried to regroup, but were pushed toward other parts of the city, including the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard.
Attack on the Court of Appeal, building damaged
At around 14:00, the tension took another serious turn when a group of masked protesters headed to the Court of Appeal in Tirana. According to reports from the scene, doors and windows were smashed with hard objects, while some of them managed to enter the institution’s interior premises.
Employees were also inside the building at the time of the attack. Footage from inside showed material damage, while the incident again raised serious questions about the ability of institutions to prevent violent groups from penetrating buildings of public importance.
Police speak of identifications and arrests
After the attack on the Court of Appeal, police intervened to disperse the groups and began detentions in several areas of the capital. According to police, 20 people have been identified over the damage to the doors and windows of the Court of Appeal, of whom five have been arrested and 15 others have been declared wanted.
According to the authorities, a quantity of pyrotechnic materials was also seized. At this stage, the figures and responsibilities remain at the level of official claims, while the full dynamics of the event require full institutional verification.
Evening brings renewed clashes near the Interior Ministry
For several hours, protesters remained in front of the Prime Minister’s Office without direct confrontation with police. However, at around 18:00, as the march resumed on the boulevard, tension returned near the Interior Ministry.
According to reports, the protesters split into two groups and struck the building with pyrotechnic devices, while police intervened with water trucks to disperse the crowd. In other areas of the city, including near the Medreseja and behind the Museum, there were pursuits between police and protesters, while some of the latter set fire to waste bins to slow the intervention of law enforcement.
Before the protest began, Prime Minister Edi Rama called for dialogue “without conditions” and for distance from violence, while Sali Berisha expressed political support for the protest and repeated the demand for the government’s departure.
Tensions were not reported only in Tirana. Gatherings and marches also took place in other cities, while in Kurbin there were clashes and Molotov cocktails were thrown at the municipal building, where flames were reported at the entrance.