Albanian police use water cannon and tear gas on Tirana protesters

Clashes escalated outside the Ministry of Education after several protesters set fire to two rubbish bins and pushed them toward police officers, the Albanian Telegraphic Agency reported. Protesters also threw various objects at police, who responded with pepper spray and tear gas. Tensions intensified further when masked individuals threw stones at police officers, and water cannon vehicles were deployed to disperse the crowd.

The incidents marked a further escalation at the rally, which began as a student protest and later saw clashes between students and representatives and supporters of the opposition Democratic Party.

Protesters later moved from the area outside the Ministry of Education and marched toward the Prime Minister's office, placing cylindrical decorative stones and rubbish bins in the street. Police followed the demonstrators, intermittently using water cannon vehicles and pepper spray. Some young demonstrators were seen removing paving stones from the pavement and placing them in the road. Police officers took up positions along the sides of the government building but had not intervened to stop the protesters' actions at the time of reporting. The situation remained tense as the demonstration continued outside the Prime Minister's Office.