Clashes between protesters and police spread across Tirana on Saturday after a student protest began outside the Ministry of Education at 2 p.m. Some demonstrators threw stones at the building and police officers, prompting police to respond with water cannons and tear gas. Protesters then moved to Skanderbeg Square and the Prime Minister’s Office, where further clashes broke out.
The violence spread along Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard and into other parts of the capital. Masked protesters threw stones, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at police and water-cannon vehicles. Others tore up paving slabs and set fire to rubbish bins, using some as barricades. The fires disrupted traffic in several areas.
Protesters also set fire to the Ministry of Environment. Petrol-filled bottles set fire to the main entrances of the Ministry of Agriculture and Tirana Municipality. Firefighters brought those fires under control. One police officer reportedly caught fire during the clashes, and colleagues intervened to help him.
As groups moved through central Tirana, further damage was reported to public and private property. Protesters set fire to a kiosk opposite the Bank of Albania and a city bus stop. They also set fire to rubbish bins and smashed the windows of a bank branch on Kavaja Street.
Police deployed officers along the main boulevard and near government buildings. They used water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Clashes and damage to property continued in several parts of the capital as the situation remained tense.
/a.p./
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