This Saturday, new clashes have been recorded between protesters and security forces in Tirana, the capital of Albania, within the framework of protests initiated by the rising cost of living, deficiencies in the infrastructure of the educational system, and accusations of corruption against the Government.
According to the Albanian public television, RTSh, the participants in the protest have set fire to garbage containers and have thrown Molotov cocktails at the agents, who have responded with charges, tear gas, and water cannons.
Among the targets of the disturbances have been several public institutions, particularly the headquarters of the Supreme Court, where a fire has been declared on the first floor, with the consequent danger of destruction of judicial documentation. The confrontations in front of the Ministry of Education have lasted for hours.
A massive concentration has also taken place on the Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation, in front of the office of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, whose resignation the protesters demand. To disperse the protest, the Police have resorted to riot control material, including four water cannons.
After being evicted from the vicinity of the Prime Minister's office, the protesters have headed to the old Dajti hotel, the current headquarters of the Bank of Albania, where they have set fire to the entrance of the building.
The authorities have indicated that at least 16 police officers and two protesters have been injured in the clashes in front of the government headquarters and have been treated at the Trauma University Hospital of Tirana. In total, there is evidence of 21 agents and thirteen protesters transferred to different hospital centers.
By the afternoon, the confrontations have intensified again with the arrival of several police vans in the center of the capital. One of the protesters has been left unconscious on the ground and has been evacuated by ambulance to a hospital, where he has been admitted in serious condition.
These mobilizations, which last Wednesday resulted in a nighttime siege of several government headquarters, are part of the so-called Revolution of the Flamingos. Although it currently focuses on educational demands, this movement also opposes a real estate project on the Adriatic coast in which the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, is involved.