The protest held on Saturday in Tirana quickly turned into a chain of clashes, initially between students and supporters of the Democratic Party, followed by police intervention. At the center of the tension was the students’ opposition to the opposition’s involvement in their rally, which pushed the situation from political arguments into violence on the ground.
Division between students and opposition supporters
PD supporters marched from the party’s blue headquarters toward the Prime Minister’s Office, accompanied by MPs Flamur Noka, Agron Gjekmarkaj, Elda Hoti and Tedi Blushi. Sali Berisha was not present.
At the same time, students had gathered in front of the Ministry of Education, where they had begun their protest at 2:00 p.m. They rejected the involvement of PD representatives and supporters in their rally, forming a separating cordon and holding a banner with the message: “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison.”
From verbal arguments to physical clashes
The confrontation between the two groups did not remain limited to chants and arguments. The situation turned into physical clashes, as some protesters openly expressed opposition to what they saw as an attempt to bring the student protest under the opposition’s umbrella.
This moment highlighted a clear divide in the square: on one side, the demand to keep the protest independent; on the other, the presence of political structures and supporters seeking to join the rally.
Fire, stones and tear gas
Tensions rose further when some protesters set fire to two garbage bins and pushed them toward the police. Various objects were thrown at officers, while police responded with spray and tear gas.
Later, masked individuals threw stones at law enforcement, prompting the intervention of a water cannon vehicle to disperse the crowd. There were also tensions during the movement from the area of the Ministry of Education toward Rruga e Durrësit, as protesters tried to block the road with decorative stones and garbage bins.
The clash shifted to the Prime Minister’s Office
During the march as well, police used the water cannon vehicle to push back protesters. At some moments, according to the version reported from the scene, water mixed with irritant substances was used.
In front of the Prime Minister’s Office, the situation escalated again. Molotov cocktails and fireworks were thrown toward the building and the police, while water cannon vehicles intervened to extinguish the flames and disperse the crowd. Some young people were also seen pulling stones from the sidewalk to use during the clashes.
Dispersal of the crowd and clearing of the area
Police forces continued the intervention along the “Dëshmorët e Kombit” boulevard, pushing protesters from the area near the Prime Minister’s Office toward the Ministry of Defense.
After several hours of tension, the crowd gradually dispersed and only a limited number of participants remained on the boulevard. Heavy vehicles then moved in to clear stones and debris from the road, which also led to the normalization of traffic.
The political significance of this protest remains as notable as the violence on the ground: the clash was not only with the police, but also within the protest camp itself, where students sought to keep their distance from parties and from the old political figure.
This makes Saturday’s rally not simply a public order episode, but also a signal of the crisis of representation that is openly emerging in the streets.