TIRANA, Albania — Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Albania’s capital and other cities to protest a luxury tourism project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
Protesters are also demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The protests, which organisers have dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” began on May 30, 2026, and have drawn support from environmental groups, anti-corruption campaigners, LGBT+ activists and nationalist organisations.
At the centre of the dispute is a planned resort development on Sazan Island and along the Zvernec coastline near the southern city of Vlora.
The project, announced in 2024 by Affinity Partners, the investment firm founded by Mr Kushner, envisions a large-scale tourism complex that could include as many as 10,000 hotel rooms.
Demonstrators say the project threatens a sensitive coastal ecosystem that serves as a habitat for flamingos, sea turtles, Mediterranean monk seals and hundreds of migratory bird species.
Environmental Concerns Fuel Demonstrations
Flamingo imagery has become the defining symbol of the protests.
Demonstrators have carried cardboard flamingos through Tirana’s main boulevard and displayed banners questioning the impact of the project on wildlife.
The movement gained momentum after developers erected fencing around part of the proposed site in late May.
The action prompted demonstrations, confrontations with private security personnel and several arrests.
Authorities later detained a security guard accused of assaulting and unlawfully detaining a protester.
“We are protesting because we are in danger of giving our land to people who have zero interest in helping Albanians, but only in profiting for themselves,” said Suzi, a participant in the protests who works in the tourism sector and requested anonymity.
Stef, a German resident of Albania, said opposition to the project extended beyond environmental concerns.
“One part of the protest is environmental, the other is because people don’t want their land being taken from them when they are not involved and will not benefit from it,” he said.
Criticism of Government and Development Policies
As the demonstrations have continued, criticism has increasingly focused on Mr Rama and his administration’s handling of development projects.
“The Kushner project was the last straw for injustices in Albania. Protesters are fed up with this entire oligarchic system and our prime minister, who acts as if he owns the country,” said Arlind Qori, leader of the Together Movement, a left-wing political party involved in organising the protests.
Gjergj Erebara, an anti-corruption activist and journalist with Reporter.al, described the movement as broader than opposition to a single project.
“This is an anti-corruption revolution against all these powerful and corrupt businessmen who can do whatever they want in our country,” he said.
The controversy has also drawn scrutiny from anti-corruption authorities.
Earlier this week, Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutor announced an investigation into the ownership and legal status of land associated with the development and seized assets linked to individuals connected to the project.
Government Defends Review Process
Mr Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, visited the proposed development site in January 2026.
In April, Mr Rama confirmed that discussions concerning the investment remained ongoing.
Speaking to CNN International on Wednesday, June 4, 2026, Rama said environmental assessments were still underway and emphasised that no final project had yet been approved.
“The challenge is not to pour concrete over the heads of flamingos. The challenge is to prove that development and nature can not only coexist, but that nature and development need each other,” he said.
The prime minister has said he is willing to engage with demonstrators raising environmental concerns but has criticised what he described as anti-development positions. He has also repeatedly indicated support for the proposed investment.
Growing Movement at Home and Abroad
Researchers and observers say the protests have attracted significant participation from younger Albanians and have developed largely outside traditional party structures.
“This movement is unprecedented in Albania’s post-communist history,” said Gresa Hasa, a researcher at the University of Graz in Austria.
“Without the support of any political party, they are building an independent grassroots movement driven by citizen-led mobilisation. These are mainly young people, most of whom are under 30.”
The demonstrations intensified on Wednesday evening when protesters breached barricades near the prime minister’s office despite attempts by police to disperse crowds with water cannons.
Organisers have also planned solidarity demonstrations by Albanian communities abroad, including events in Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, Toronto, Milan, Florence, New York, Bologna, Munich and Skopje.
Neither Mr Kushner nor Affinity Partners immediately responded to requests for comment.
