PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE, STORM APPEALS COURT BUILDING

TIRANA, OCTOBER 19 /SRNA/ – Protesters in Tirana stormed the Court of Appeals today, prompting police to use tear gas, remove some individuals from the building and arrest them.

Court hearings were underway at the time, Albanian Euronews reported.

Video footage showed a notice board smashed in the courthouse courtyard, while windows were broken and objects scattered inside the building.

The protesters then moved from the court toward the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where further clashes with police broke out.

Earlier, the demonstrators had gathered outside the Ministry of Education, where they used garbage bins to set up barricades before heading to the headquarters of the Socialist Party.

Clashes also broke out outside the ministry after protesters began throwing bottles and stones at police, who responded with tear gas.

Albanian Post reported that police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

Protests are also taking place in other Albanian cities. The situation escalated in Kurbin, where demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, setting fire to part of the municipal building and prompting police to use force.

Rallies were held in Lezhe, Vlore, Elbasan and Shkoder, where some high school students and young people boycotted classes to join the protests.

Student-led protests have been taking place in Albania for a seventh consecutive day. They began over dissatisfaction with the state of education, high study costs and limited job opportunities for young people, but have since grown into broader demonstrations against Prime Minister Edi Rama's government, with protesters demanding his resignation.

Rama said earlier today that he was ready for dialogue with anyone at any time, but not with political forces that support violence. He also announced tough measures against everyone involved in violence during the protests.