Police
Day 12 of protests: Molotov cocktails, stones and fires at ministries, police officer's uniform catches fire in Tirana
Clashes began outside the Ministry of Education around 14:00 and went on into the evening on the boulevard, Skanderbeg Square and Kavaja Street; police responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 24, 2026, 20:30 · Updated 18:40 · 2 min read
In brief
- Masked protesters threw stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police and institutions for hours.
- Ministry doors, kiosks and trash bins were set on fire, and windows of banks and shops were smashed.
- Police urged protesters to distance themselves from violent masked individuals and warned of legal action.
The 12th day of protests in Tirana turned on Saturday into one of the most violent since they began. The rally started around 14:00 in front of the Ministry of Education, and within half an hour, according to Koha Jonë, protesters began throwing stones at the building and at police. Masked people tore up sidewalk slabs on Durrës Street, while police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse them.
The groups then spread out to several points in the city. On Myslym Shyri Street and in the Blloku area, trash bins were set on fire to build barricades, while according to reports the door of a ministry on the boulevard was set alight. Reuters reported a fire at the door of the Ministry of Agriculture, while Shqiptarja.com reported on the Ministry of Environment and later on the Ministry of Infrastructure. According to Shqiptarja.com, the Puppet Theater was also set on fire.
A police officer's uniform catches fire
Around 17:20, masked protesters smashed the windows of the Bank of Albania's guard booth and its security cameras. A few minutes later, Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers near the Socialist Party headquarters, and one officer's uniform caught fire before colleagues managed to put it out. According to ATSH, Molotov cocktails were also thrown toward Tirana City Hall, while clashes in Skanderbeg Square lasted more than three hours.
In the evening the protest moved toward Kavaja Street, where the windows of a bank and a mobile phone shop were smashed, while a kiosk was burned in the center. Around 20:25 the boulevard was cleared of protesters and work began to remove the debris. Several people were taken to police stations.
Police warnings
Shortly after midday, the State Police had said it had recorded numerous calls on social media to gather masked and armed with Molotov cocktails, metal spheres, screws and sticks, and that it had opened criminal proceedings. Director General Skender Hita inspected the forces on the ground and called for proportionality to be respected. In the evening, police urged protesters to distance themselves from the masked individuals and warned that any act of violence would be dealt with according to the law.
