Tens of thousands protest Trump-linked resort in Albania, demanding prime minister’s resignation

Origins of the protest

Since late May, demonstrators have gathered every evening in Albania to oppose a luxury resort planned in a protected coastal area near Zvernec, about 150 kilometres southwest of Tirana. The project, financed by an investment firm linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, would turn a stretch of the Vjosa-Narta landscape and the uninhabited Sazan Island (a former communist military base) into a high-end tourism destination. Outrage intensified after a video circulated in late May showing private security guards dragging a protester away from a beach where a razor-wire fence had been erected.

Environmental at stake

The planned development sits in a “protected landscape” that is a key breeding and resting ground for migratory birds, including flocks of flamingos. Biologist Olsi Nika told protesters that the Vjosa-Narta region is one of Albania’s most valuable natural ecosystems, with importance reaching beyond the country’s borders. The project’s critics argue that turning Sazan Island and the lagoon area into a resort would irreversibly damage a fragile habitat, and many see the deal as emblematic of a pattern of opaque coastal concessions.

The Vjosa-Narta landscape, including the Zvernec region, is one of Albania’s most valuable natural ecosystems, and its importance extends beyond the country’s borders.

Political fallout and government response

What began as an environmental sit-in has widened into an anti-government movement, with protesters accusing Prime Minister Edi Rama of corruption and lack of transparency. Chants of “Albania is not for sale” echoed through the capital, and the slogan was projected onto the prime minister’s office building. Demonstrators, including a sizeable contingent from the Albanian diaspora who travelled home for the rally, insist they will remain on the streets until Rama resigns. The prime minister, however, told a party meeting that he would not step down, arguing that the controversy was driven more by the “shadow of Trump” than by the project itself.

Nobody here is protesting against Trump or Israel. We are protesting against everything else.

A movement grows

Organisers have christened the campaign the “flamingo revolution,” a nod to the iconic pink birds that symbolise the threatened coastal ecosystem. Among the crowd was Alma, a science student, who emphasised that the anger is not about opposing development but about how major projects are handled.

We are not against the country’s development; we are against the arrogance and lack of transparency surrounding projects that affect our lives.

Authorities have opened proceedings against numerous demonstrators for alleged breaches of public order, yet the nightly protests continue unabated. As the rallies enter their fourth week, the clash over the Kushner-backed resort has become a lightning rod for wider discontent over governance, economic inequality and the use of Albania’s natural resources.