In the early hours of Sunday, crowds outside the parliament in Tirana threw petrol bombs that set fire to the building’s façade. The attack followed weeks of escalating protests against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s administration.
Police responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. The Ministry of Health reported 272 injuries, including 28 sustained on Sunday alone, among police officers, protesters, bystanders and a journalist.
The violence also engulfed government offices, a police station, the interior ministry entrance, and the Supreme Court, where images of flames were shared by journalists on social media.
Rama, who has ruled since 2013 and won a fourth term last year, dismissed calls for his resignation, accusing foreign actors of inflaming the unrest and warning that the protests could jeopardise Albania’s EU accession bid.
In response, the government has declared a 48‑hour curfew across the capital and called an emergency session of the Interior Ministry for Monday to coordinate security measures.