Tensions escalated during a protest in central Tirana on Saturday, as opposition supporters marched from the Prime Minister’s Office toward the Ministry of Education to join a student demonstration scheduled for 2 p.m.

The opposition supporters had gathered earlier outside the Prime Minister’s Office before heading toward the ministry, where students and their supporters had assembled to protest against the government.

Ahead of the demonstration, protesters placed a banner outside the Ministry of Education reading “RnB BnB,” an abbreviation of the slogan “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison.”

The slogan was repeatedly chanted by participants, who also shouted “Down with communism.”

The gathering was marked by physical confrontations between protesters supporting the students and Democratic Party supporters who had marched from the Prime Minister’s Office to join the demonstration.

Following the clashes outside the Ministry of Education, the situation calmed down and the protest continued without further incidents for a period. Democratic Party supporters remained at a distance from the other demonstrators gathered in support of the students.

However, at approximately 3:40 p.m., protesters set fire to two garbage bins, prompting police to respond with pepper spray and tear gas.

The developments marked a further escalation in the nationwide student protest, which has brought together student activists and opposition supporters in a demonstration against the government.