Tear gas, water cannon hit Tirana as student protests turn violent

Demonstrators and riot police clashed in Albania's capital on Wednesday in a second straight day of violence triggered by student protests calling for better university conditions and Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation.

Protesters formed makeshift barricades in the capital, Tirana, while riot police responded with water cannons after street violence overnight left 16 people arrested and government buildings badly damaged.

Riot police also deployed tear gas as they attempted to break up protests on Wednesday afternoon as demonstrators threw projectiles along a central street in the city, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists. Demonstrators also ripped out nearby fencing and used it to block the street.

Hundreds of people had rallied earlier Tuesday in front of the education ministry, demanding Rama's resignation and more support for students in the country.

Tuesday's violence left six officers injured, according to a police statement. 

During the night, people also burst through the doors of the municipality building, lighting a fire inside and damaging several other buildings, police said.

Again on Wednesday, demonstrators gathered outside the ministry building and threw stones at its windows, many of which had already been shattered during Tuesday's demonstration.

Police said officers had "faced constant violence" on Tuesday and were "pelted with stones, blunt objects, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails by groups of masked demonstrators".

According to the health ministry, eight protesters, three journalists, and two passersby received medical attention, including for tear gas.

The violence comes after over four months of anti-government protests sparked by a luxury tourism project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's family. Since late May, protesters have gathered to oppose plans for a hotel in a coastal nature reserve linked to Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner.

The project has fuelled anger over alleged corruption and a lack of transparency, with protesters demanding Rama's resignation. 

Students echoed those demands but told local media that Tuesday's protest was against university conditions, tuition fees and a lack of support for young people.