Tirana Student Protest: 16 Arrested After Police Clashes

Albanian police said that 16 people were arrested after yesterday’s clashes with students outside the Ministry of Education in Tirana, while criminal proceedings were opened against another 49. Students from several faculties are back on the streets today, boycotting classes and marching toward the same ministry, where a new protest has been announced for the afternoon. Albania is a Western Balkan country, so events in Tirana are followed well beyond its borders.

How did the protest turn into a clash?

Students organized the gathering, which began yesterday afternoon outside the ministry, at first without major incidents. The situation changed when a group started pulling out the metal barriers set up along the sidewalk. Footage shows the barriers falling as demonstrators gather near the entrance to the building. Some of them, with their faces covered, hurled objects at the building, throwing stones and smashing windows.

Police responded with a water cannon and tear gas. After the intervention, a large number of people who had taken part in the protest were detained.

According to the police report, the clashes did not stay at the ministry: demonstrators moved to other parts of the city, broke into the city administration building and set fire to part of its ground floor. Banks and other business premises were also damaged.

What do the students want?

Organizers said the protest was called over conditions at universities. The students are demanding:

• better study conditions
• lower education costs
• financial support for students
• better job prospects after graduation

Some participants added that they also want to express dissatisfaction with the work of the government.

How many people were injured?

Here the sources differ. Albania’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection said, as reported by the portal Dukagjini, that a total of 13 people sought help at the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center and the University Hospital for Traumatology. They include demonstrators, media representatives, police officers and bystanders. One person was hospitalized, and medical staff are monitoring the condition of another. Six police officers suffered injuries from sharp objects, mostly to their hands and legs, received care and were discharged from the hospital. Two journalists were treated and sent home, and two passersby also sought help.

A figure released today by the same ministry, reported by Euronews, paints a different picture: six injured people are still receiving hospital treatment, three demonstrators and three passersby, and one of the passersby needs surgery. The available reports do not make clear whether the difference comes from a later update or from a different way of counting, so both versions are given here.

How have the authorities reacted?

Albania’s ombudsman has opened an investigation into allegations that police used excessive force during the protest. It is examining whether officers acted lawfully and proportionately, and whether the rights of those detained were respected.

Interior Minister Ervin Demo condemned the violence but said the police must respect citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. He also stressed that any unlawful use of force would be investigated.