Incidents near the Ministry of Education: Police report escorting 23 people and injuring six officers and a journalist

Following violent clashes during a rally held around midday today near the Ministry of Education in Tirana, the State Police announced that 23 people had been escorted for further procedural action. Six employees of the National Security Force and a journalist were injured in the incidents, but all are out of danger.

In its account of the incident, the police said that some participants in the rally began carrying out violent acts against the building. In order to enter the institution’s courtyard, they first damaged the outer fencing and then the entrance gate. According to the same statement, these individuals allegedly used stone slabs and hard objects to break the windows and damage the building’s façade.

Police authorities claim that several calls were made for the attack to end and for those involved to leave the Ministry’s courtyard, but the individuals did not stop their violent actions. According to the police, they attacked officers with Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, stones and hard objects.

The police linked the intervention by its units to these circumstances, stating that the action was proportionate and in line with the legislation in force and standard operating procedures. According to the statement, the intervention was aimed at neutralizing those responsible for the violent acts and restoring order, while 23 of them were escorted for further procedures.

In the statement, the injuries suffered by six National Security Force officers and the journalist were attributed to an attack by masked individuals taking part in the protest. The police confirmed that none of the injured people was in danger of losing their life.