Albania student protest leaves 7 injured, 23 arrested

Seven people were injured and 23 were arrested after riot police used tear gas and water cannons against student protesters in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Tuesday, police said.

Hundreds of students rallied to demand Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation and better education conditions. An AFP journalist saw protesters throw stones and smash windows at the education ministry in central Tirana. Demonstrators also tore down a fence and set billboards on fire.

Police said six officers and one female journalist were injured, none with life-threatening injuries. Police said a group of protesters damaged the ministry's outer fence and entrance gate while trying to enter the courtyard, and smashed windows and the facade with paving stones and other hard objects.

Police said protesters continued to attack officers with Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, stones and other objects after being told to stop. Interior Minister Ervin Demo condemned the violence and called for calm, saying violence was unjustifiable.

The situation remained tense on Tuesday evening, with police and protesters still at the scene, an AFP journalist reported.

The protest came after more than four months of anti-government demonstrations. Those protests began after anger over a planned luxury hotel in a coastal nature reserve linked to US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.

Protesters have accused the project of reflecting corruption and a lack of transparency. Students also told local media that Tuesday's rally was about university conditions, tuition fees and limited support for young people.