Riot police officers in Albania on Saturday fired tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets at opposition political parties’ supporters, students, university professors, and artistes after their mass action turned violent in Tirana.

The officers carried out the action to disperse the protesters who ​threw stones and rocks at them and lit a fire at the door of the agriculture ministry and other government buildings, Reuters reported.

The pushback by the 2,500 police officers deployed to the streets of Tirana pushed thousands of protesters to several locations in the city, where they razed banks and damaged shop windows.

Dozens of the protesters were said to have been detained, while more than 300 protesters and police officers have been injured.

The high school and university students are demanding lower tuition fees, improved investment and educational standards, as well as an end to corruption in the education system. 

Meanwhile, anti-government protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over alleged corruption and ​a lack of jobs.

The protests are said to have gradually spread to other cities.

Blaming “foreign actors” for the violence, as well as Russia and Iran for driving online misinformation, Mr Rama called for dialogue, but warned against violence, vowing that there will be a sustained response from the authorities.

Mr Rama also stated that, “All those who glorify violence, all those who echo violence, and all those who perpetrate violence must understand that just as the urban terror was intense, concentrated, and prolonged, so too will the response from the state be prolonged and persistent.”

The protests were sparked in May against a luxury hotel project by ​Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump.

Scientists alleged in July that the project had already caused irreparable damage to a once pristine stretch of Albania’s coast.