Albania protesters keep up pressure over Trump-linked project

TIRANA (Albania): Thousands of Albanians took to the streets of Tirana again this weekend, demanding the prime minister’s resignation and an end to a tourism project linked to US President Donald Trump’s family.

Since late May, protesters have gathered every evening to oppose the construction of a luxury hotel backed by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, planned in a nature reserve on the Balkan nation’s coast.

Opposition to the development has become a flash point for frustrations over perceived corruption, with protesters calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down over what they describe as a lack of transparency in the development.

The planned resort in the protected natural area of Zvernec in southwestern Albania was first unveiled in 2024, but the wave of protests was sparked after barbed-wire fencing and bulldozers appeared on its beaches in late May.

On Saturday night, protesters carried giant pink flamingos through the crowd, alongside banners reading “Resign”.

“Our demands are very clear”, Luciana Kokaj, one of the organisers, told AFP.

No official figures have been released, but AFP journalists have seen at least several thousand people gathering each night in the city centre.

Their anger stems from “a lack of transparency, a lack of accountability and arrogance”, according to lawyer Irena Dule, speaking at the protest.

At least 100 protesters have been charged since early June for blocking traffic, disturbing public order and organising or taking part in unauthorised protests.

“We are here to make our voices heard against this project”, Dule said, adding they also oppose a law on protected areas, which “opens the door to other projects in other protected zones”.

That February 2024 law, along with legislation on strategic investments, could allow the Trump-linked project — already clouded by land ownership disputes — to go ahead.

Zvernec is home to more than 200 bird species, said Zydjon Vorpsi of environmental NGO PPNEA.

“Among them, the threatened Dalmatian pelican and flamingos, which breed in the Narta lagoon,” he said.

But the protests go beyond environmental concerns.

Demonstrators are voicing anger at the rising cost of living, the health system, pensions and limited opportunities for young people, many of whom have left Albania in recent years.

Some members of the diaspora have returned to join the rallies, including Berlin-based biologist Zyryku Albanian, who said he was optimistic the “resistance” would continue.