Anti-government protests have intensified in Albania following similar unrest in France, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
A foreign news agency reported that the violent protests that began on Tuesday have shaken the capital, Tirana, where thousands of protesters are rallying against the deteriorating condition of universities, high tuition fees and corruption.
The latest wave of violent demonstrations follows months of anti-government protests across the country.
The unrest initially erupted following a plan to construct a controversial resort linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.
They are demanding the prime minister’s immediate resignation.
The hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Ministry of Education again on Sunday afternoon, chanting slogans demanding Rama’s resignation. Clashes broke out between protesters and police, prompting law enforcement personnel to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The agency reported that shops and businesses in the city centre had installed metal shutters over their doors and windows, while municipal workers had removed paving stones from the streets to prevent protesters from using them as weapons against police.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to resign, describing the protests as an operation orchestrated by a foreign hand.
The situation was particularly tense in Tirana on Saturday, when demonstrators pelted police with stones and threw petrol bombs, metal objects and firecrackers. The protests continued late into the night, with several buildings, including a court, banks and a post office, set on fire or severely damaged.
As tensions escalated, police fired rubber bullets at protesters.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Health on Sunday morning, 65 people, including 37 police officers, were injured in the latest clashes, while 12 people were taken to hospital.
Since Tuesday, a total of 272 people, including 169 police officers, have been injured in the unrest.
The United States, a close ally of Albania, responded to the escalating situation late Saturday night, with its embassy in Tirana calling on all parties to exercise restraint.