Tirana, October 20 (Albania Journal) – Protests in Albania continued for an eighth consecutive day, with demonstrators gathering outside the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday afternoon to renew calls for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation and a change in the country’s political leadership.
The demonstration began without major tensions or clashes between young protesters and police officers.
However, tensions escalated after a group of demonstrators removed a city bus stop near the Prime Minister’s Office along Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard. Others uprooted two basketball hoops near the busts of the Frashëri Brothers and placed them on the boulevard to block police vehicles.
Carrying banners and chanting slogans, protesters occupied the middle of the boulevard as police officers positioned themselves opposite the crowd.
After more than three hours, the first clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. A group of young protesters threw Molotov cocktails towards the Prime Minister’s Office.
Masked protesters subsequently threw stones at police officers, who responded with tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.
Police pursued groups of demonstrators as they dispersed across different parts of Tirana. In the Nine-Storey area, officers used water cannon to break up the gathering.
Elsewhere, protesters set rubbish bins on fire along Zogu i Parë Boulevard and moved them into the middle of the road, disrupting traffic and creating chaos for motorists.
Tensions flared again outside the Prime Minister’s Office, where protesters clashed with police. Officers used water cannon, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Several young women reportedly felt unwell after police used pepper spray and tear gas.
Further clashes occurred near the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, where demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and fireworks towards police forces.
Police also began detaining protesters as the unrest continued.
The demonstrators later returned to Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, where tensions erupted again outside the Prime Minister’s Office. Police once more used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
