Thousands protest in Albania against Kushner-backed luxury resort

Thousands of Albanians took to the streets of the capital Tirana on Monday in the largest protest yet against a high-end resort development backed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Protesters on June 10 held signs reading “Albania is not for sale” and chanted “New Albania” outside the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama, as the crowd stretched half a mile down one of the city's main boulevards.

The project, expected to cost around 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion), has sparked outrage in the Balkan nation due to its location near a protected wetland that hosts flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting grounds.

Critics have also voiced concerns over a lack of transparency surrounding the plans, which were drafted by foreign investors.

“This is the typical example of what has been happening in Albania for the past 35 years,” protester Leand Lakrori told Reuters. “So today, enough is enough.”

The protests, which erupted in the village of Zvernec on the southern coast where the resort is planned, have been dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” a reference to the protected wetland at the development site that serves as a stopover for the migrating birds.

Prime Minister Rama sought to allay ecological concerns, saying an environmental impact assessment would be completed and the project would be carried out responsibly. “We are very proud of what we have done for wildlife in Albania,” he said. “The European Commission has no reason to doubt our strong will to protect anything that needs to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.”

The European Union, which has said it could admit Albania and other Balkan states by 2030, warned that compliance with European environmental law would be a condition of membership. “Albania should avoid actions that could undermine the implementation of the closing criteria,” EU spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said. “We expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay.”

The protests are the latest test for Prime Minister Rama, who has been in power since 2013 and is now blamed by many for failing to root out widespread corruption or adequately improve basic services such as healthcare. Rama said he had made progress on tackling corruption by setting up a special prosecutor’s office that has opened a series of high-profile investigations.

Earlier this year, clashes also erupted when protesters demanded the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku over corruption allegations. Rama dismissed Balluku, but mistrust remains. “I’m here to protest, to end this story of the Albanian government. Always the same two parties,” protester Fabio Bracaj told Reuters. “We want a new era. We want a better country.”

The resort project is an initiative of Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who said they fell in love with Albania several years ago while visiting on a yacht. Opposition erupted last month when developers erected a fence around part of the Zvernec area. The fence was later removed after a backlash. Prime Minister Rama said the project would go ahead regardless.