Protesters set fire to Supreme Court headquarters on fifth day of unrest in Albania

This Saturday there were new clashes between protesters and security forces in Tirana, the capital of Albania, protests that began to protest the cost of living, deficiencies in the facilities of the educational system and government corruption.

The protesters have set garbage containers on fire and thrown Molotov cocktails at the Police, who have responded with charges, tear gas and water cannons, according to Albanian public television, RTSh.

Specifically, there have been attacks against public institutions such as the headquarters of the Supreme Court, where there was a fire on the first floor, which poses a risk due to the possible loss of judicial documents. And the riots in front of the Ministry of Education headquarters have lasted for hours.

There has also been a rally on the Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard, in front of the headquarters of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, whose resignation the protesters are demanding. The Police have used riot control measures to disperse the protest, including four water cannons.

After having to leave the prime minister’s office, the protesters moved to the former Dajti hotel, now the headquarters of the Bank of Albania, where they set fire to the entrance.

The authorities have reported that there are at least 16 police officers and two protesters injured by the clashes in front of the government headquarters who have been treated at the Tirana University Trauma Hospital. In total there is news of 21 agents and thirteen protesters arriving at hospitals.

In the afternoon, clashes resumed with the arrival of several police vans in the center of the Albanian capital. One of the protesters was left unconscious lying on the ground and was taken to a hospital by ambulance with a serious prognosis.

The demonstrations, which led this past Wednesday to a nighttime siege of several government headquarters, are part of the so-called Flemish Revolution, which although it now focuses on educational demands, is also a movement in opposition to a real estate project on the Adriatic coast that has the involvement of the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner.