A multi-billion dollar coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is facing escalating resistance from protesters and environmental groups in Albania.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Tirana, brandishing cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos and chanting slogans such as “Albania is not for sale” and “Ivanka, go home”, referencing Trump’s daughter.
Public anger intensified after video footage emerged showing a peaceful activist being violently dragged by a private security guard at the project site.
Activists also held banners stating “I don’t want Albania like Dubai” while demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
The planned resort spans the uninhabited, communist-era military base on Sazan Island and the pristine Narta Lagoon area.
Environmental organizations, including Bird Life Europe and its local partner PPNEA [Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment]in Albania, warn that heavy machinery has been tearing through the area without permits or environmental impact assessments since late April.
Activists report that construction has already “irreversibly destroyed” ancient sand dunes and blocked vital tidal exchanges in the lagoon, threatening over 200 bird species and endangered marine mammals like the Mediterranean Monk Seal.
PPNEA Director Aleksandr Trajçe stated, “What is happening here is unprecedented. We have never seen anything like this in Albania’s protected areas.”
The luxury venture has also triggered severe political and legal scrutiny. Albania’s state anti-corruption agency, SPAK, confirmed it has opened an investigation into the project’s land titles and the controversial February 2024 legislative amendments that weakened protected area laws.
Critics accuse long-time Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama of operating with a complete lack of transparency to benefit private investors at the expense of public heritage.
Despite the escalating demonstrations and the cautionary tale of a similar Kushner-linked project collapsing in Serbia amid corruption charges, Prime Minister Rama remains defiant.
Insisting the 4-billion-euro venture is a transformational step toward European Union membership, Rama firmly declared. “There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here.” Protesters have since rejected the prime minister’s offer for talks, demanding a total halt to the bulldozers.
