Paris Soir - Government buildings torched in violent Albanian protests

Protesters and riot police clashed in Tirana as thousands of demonstrators rallied for better university conditions and demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation.

Over several hours, police deployed water cannons and tear gas while demonstrators attacked government offices and shops in the city centre, smashed windows and set fire to multiple buildings.

Riot police repeatedly tried to push them back, even using tear gas, but the crowd showed little sign of dispersing.

As night fell, crowds continued to spread through the city, attacking government buildings.

In one incident, protesters smashed windows before setting a floor of the justice ministry building on fire.

Police chased protesters away before firefighters brought the blaze under control.

Throughout the day, demonstrators hurled paving stones and petrol bombs, set fire to bins and used street fencing to erect barricades.

Protesters also attacked the finance ministry, using fencing to smash windows and break down doors, with some briefly entering the building.

Pushed back by police, protesters moved towards the prime minister's office, where they threw stones at the building prompting police to use water cannon.

A tree near the building entrance briefly caught fire before firefighters extinguished it.

- 'Masked mob' -

Interior minister Ervin Demo acknowledged the concerns of students but blamed the "malicious hands of outsiders" for the violence.

"To those currently setting fire to and destroying public and private property, I say: pull back before it is too late," he said.

"While individual accountability before the law may be delayed amidst the destructive frenzy of a masked mob, it will never forget."

Earlier, AFP saw two people climb over the education ministry wall and throw flares into the building.

Thick black smoke poured from a window shortly afterwards, before firefighters managed to put out the blaze.

Local media reported that protesters had also attempted to storm a police station, smashing police cars and damaging the entrance before being chased away.

Several banks were attacked and many shopfronts were smashed in the city centre.

Police said late on Wednesday that 14 officers had been injured and 35 people had been detained. Six officers were injured and 16 people were arrested on Tuesday.

"Police are continuing to identify and detain individuals who have committed acts of violence and worn masks during the protest," a statement said.

Demonstrators originally gathered early on Tuesday to demand Rama's resignation and more support for students in the country, citing poor university conditions and high tuition fees.

For more than four months, anti-government protests have routinely drawn crowds in their thousands.

Originally sparked by a luxury tourism project linked to US President Donald Trump's family in the country's south, the demonstrations have occasionally flared into violence amid ongoing calls for Rama's resignation.

Police said officers had "faced constant violence" on Tuesday and were "pelted with stones, blunt objects, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails by groups of masked demonstrators".

The European Union, which the Balkan nation aspires to join, voiced concern over what it called the "violent escalation at the protest in Tirana".

It also called for a prompt investigation of allegations of excessive force by police and called "all sides to de-escalate the tension".

G.Durand--PS