Tens of thousands of students stormed the streets of Tirana on Wednesday, setting alight a government building and two banks and hurling stones at police during a protest over rising education costs and corruption, APA reports citing Reuters.
Police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters who started a fire at the ministry of education building, overturned garbage cans and smashed the fronts of local businesses, Reuters footage showed.
A Raiffeisen Bank branch near the education ministry also caught fire, a Reuters witness said.
The protests represent the most violent outburst against Prime Minister Edi Rama, who won a fourth term in office in elections in May last year but has since faced growing discontent at perceived graft surrounding top officials. Protesters also dismiss opposition figures as unpalatable alternatives.
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