Thousands march in Tirana as 'flamingo revolution' against Kushner's Albanian resort enters eleventh day

The eleventh day of protests

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Albania's capital Tirana on Wednesday evening for the largest protest yet against a luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. The crowd stretched half a mile down a main boulevard outside the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama, marking the eleventh consecutive day of what participants have dubbed the 'flamingo revolution' — a reference to the protected wetland near the development site that is home to flamingoes, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

The project in Zvernec is a project with no transparency. And this is the apotheosis of what has been happening in Albania for the last 35 years. So today, enough is enough.

Protesters held signs reading 'Albania is not for sale' and chanted 'New Albania', while organisers warned political parties to keep their distance. Only national flags and symbols have been visible at the gatherings.

The project and its backers

The development is the brainchild of Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump, who reportedly fell in love with Albania a few years ago while visiting on a yacht. The project involves construction on Sazan Island in the Adriatic Sea and the surrounding coastal area near the village of Zvernec, roughly 150 kilometres south of Tirana. Reported investment figures vary across sources: Reuters cites an expected cost of around 5 billion euros, while Italian outlets report 4 billion euros, and The Guardian and La Repubblica reference a $1.6 billion figure for the Sazan Island portion. Qatari billionaire brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat are also involved in the operation.

Environmental and transparency concerns

Opposition centres on the project's location near a protected wetland and on a former military island, as well as a perceived lack of transparency in the permitting process. Tensions escalated last month when developers erected a fence around part of the land near Zvernec; the fence has since been taken down. La Repubblica reports that protests intensified after a video went viral showing a private security guard forcibly dragging away an activist from the coastal area where bulldozers and fencing had appeared.

Rama's response

Prime Minister Rama, in power since 2013, has refused to back down. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, he cited recent investments on the Greek island of Mykonos as an example, arguing that Albania cannot oppose foreign investment while the rest of the world develops its tourism economy. He told Reuters earlier this week that the project would go ahead and be completed responsibly. Rama also pointed to the creation of a special prosecution office, SPAK, as evidence of progress against graft, though many protesters blame him for failing to eradicate widespread corruption or improve basic services like healthcare.

While the whole world develops tourism and the economy by measuring itself against foreign investments, we cannot measure ourselves by opposing them. That would be an invitation for a collective reverse that Albania cannot, must not and will not accept.

Broader political discontent

While the Zvernec case was the spark, the protests have tapped into deeper frustration with Albania's entire political class. Demonstrators have expressed exhaustion with the same two parties dominating the country's politics. Earlier this year, violent clashes broke out as protesters demanded the resignation of Rama's deputy, Belinda Balluku, over alleged corruption. Rama fired Balluku, but mistrust persists.

I'm here to protest, to finish this saga of the Albanian government. It's the same two parties always. We want a new era, we want a better country.