Albanian police fire tear gas at protesters as Education Ministry attacked
At least 23 protesters have been arrested in demonstrations in the capital.
Albanian riot police have fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of student demonstrators protesting over education and social conditions in the capital Tirana.
Protesters hurled bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Student organisers said the protest was over conditions at universities, higher education costs, financial support and employment prospects after graduation.
At least six officers and one female journalist were injured, according to a statement by police, and 23 people were arrested.
Police called on the protesters to stop attacking the ministry, but some attendees continued to assault officers with Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, stones and other hard objects, the statement said.
Protesters said they wanted to express frustration with inequality and government economic policies.
“What Albania needs is a revolution, a change, a complete overthrow of the system because it can’t go on like this,” protester Luljeta Kola said. She added that there was a deep social divide between the rich and the poor in the country.
Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Albana Kociu wrote on Facebook: “Violence has not been, is not, and will never be a solution. Throwing stones, attacking institutions and the state police, as well as the senseless destruction of public property, are not how youth should express themselves.”
The Albanian capital has seen a series of anti-government protests since May, sparked by a luxury tourism project linked to US President Donald Trump’s family.
The project has fuelled anger over alleged corruption and a lack of transparency, with protesters demanding Rama’s resignation.
Students echoed those demands but told local media that Tuesday’s rally also aimed to decry university conditions, tuition fees and a lack of support for young people.
“Problems are not solved by pretending they do not exist. Students have questions, demands and plenty of reasons to be heard,” one of the organisers said on Instagram.