Thousands gather at new Albanian antigovernment rally

More than 300 protesters and police were injured in the Albanian capital Tirana’s fiercest clashes in days.Published On 24 Oct 202624 Oct 2026Protesters have clashed with police in rallies in the Albanian capital of Tirana, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds.Several government buildings were attacked, dozens of demonstrators arrested, and more than 300 protesters and police injured, authorities said Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Albania’s protests explainedlist 2 of 3‘Horizontal revolt’: Why Albania’s young protesters want PM Rama to golist 3 of 3Can European leaders fix the cost-of-living crisis?end of listProtesters and police have routinely clashed since a significant wave of protests started in mid-October over poor conditions in schools and the cost of living in the small Balkan country.While the protests in Tirana had calmed in recent days, Saturday’s demonstration escalated the situation again, with police deploying water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds.Thousands of people had heeded calls from organisers for students and others around Albania to attend the rally. Various groups, including university pr...