Albania's 'Pink Flamingo Revolution' enters 35th night as protesters topple PM Rama's bust and demand his resignation
Tens of thousands marched in Tirana on Saturday for the 35th consecutive night of protests that began over a $4.6 billion luxury resort linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, but have since grown into a broad anti-corruption movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
From resort opposition to anti-government movement
What began in late May as a protest against a luxury resort project in a protected coastal area has become a nightly anti-corruption movement. The demonstrations, dubbed the "Pink Flamingo Revolution" after the migratory birds that inhabit the nearby Vjosa-Narta lagoon, have drawn tens of thousands of people to Tirana's main boulevard for 35 consecutive nights. Protesters now demand not only the cancellation of the project but also the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, constitutional reform, and an end to corruption.
What started as the Pink Flamingo Revolution has unleashed widespread public discontent. Lack of transparency, arrogance. Enough! The prime minister must go.
The trigger was the appearance in late May of barbed wire fences and bulldozers on beaches near Zvernec, where a company linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner plans to build a 10,000-room resort. Opposition to the project had existed since its presentation in 2024, but the latest construction activity ignited daily street protests.
Symbolic protests on Rama's birthday
Saturday's protest, the largest yet, coincided with Prime Minister Rama's 62nd birthday. Demonstrators carried cement "birthday cakes" as an allusion to the building project and erected a tall bust of Rama before toppling it with a rope. The gesture deliberately echoed the February 1991 toppling of statues of communist dictator Enver Hoxha. Some protesters carried pink flamingo balloons, a reference to the birds threatened by the resort construction.
This project will go ahead as long as I am in power.
Rama has defended the development, arguing it would create hundreds of jobs in one of Europe's poorest countries. The project, estimated at $4.6 billion, includes a mainland complex near the Vjosa-Narta wildlife reserve and a resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former communist military base.
Clashes and arrests
Tensions escalated on Thursday when police used tear gas and water cannons to prevent protesters from reaching the parliament building. According to police, 15 officers were injured and 25 demonstrators were arrested after some in the crowd threw eggs, stones, and other objects. On Saturday, after about two hours of marching, a large group moved to a police station demanding the release of those detained. When protesters broke windows, police dispersed the crowd with a water cannon.
- Protests begin after barbed wire fences and bulldozers appear at the resort site near Zvernec.
- Police use tear gas and water cannons; 15 officers injured and 25 protesters arrested near parliament.
- 35th consecutive protest, largest yet; symbolic toppling of Rama bust, cement cakes, and march to police station.
Environmental concerns and the Trump connection
The resort site lies within a protected area that hosts over 200 species, including flamingos that migrate to the Vjosa-Narta lagoon. Opponents say the project was approved without transparency and poses a risk to the lagoon and its wildlife. The movement gained further momentum after Ivanka Trump described the project in a late-May podcast as "the culmination" of her entire real estate experience.
The culmination of my entire real estate experience.
Protesters see the development as emblematic of a wider pattern of opaque decision-making. The nightly marches have become the most sustained challenge to Rama's government since he took office.
