The ninth day of the protest began with students and lecturers gathering outside the Prime Minister’s Office, but after several hours of calm the situation deteriorated in the evening. According to developments on the ground, the first violent acts against the government building were recorded at around 18:00.
The gathering began with students and lecturers
On Wednesday, the protest launched by students entered its ninth day, once again drawing in other citizens and lecturers.
As on the previous day, lecturers joined the gathering and initially assembled together with the students outside the Prime Minister’s Office.
The offer for dialogue is rejected again
According to the version presented by the protest, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s invitation for dialogue was not accepted.
As a sign of revolt, protesters removed and threw away the chairs placed in the square, making clear their distrust of the official offer.
Boycott in several cities, no incidents until the afternoon
In Korça, classes were boycotted, while in Tirana and also in Korça the boycott was reported as partial.
Until around 16:00, no incidents were recorded, either by protesters or by police, which kept the gathering in a calm phase for several hours.
After three and a half hours of calm, the protest escalated
The calm lasted around three and a half hours, but in the evening the situation changed.
At around 18:00, the first attacks began outside the Prime Minister’s Office: first a chair was set on fire and then several Molotov cocktails were thrown toward the government building.
The escalation in the evening hours turned the protest from a peaceful gathering into a confrontation with harsh overtones near the seat of government.
It remains unclear whether this climate of tension will further deepen the clash between protesters and the government, in a movement that for days has been challenging the official approach to their demands.