Trump family linked resort sparks protests in Albania

Thousands of Albanians have protested against a luxury coastal development linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, turning an environmental dispute into a broader test for Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The project involves plans for high end resorts on Albania’s Adriatic coast, including the uninhabited island of Sazan and land near the Vjosa Narta protected wetlands. The area is home to flamingos, Mediterranean monk seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

Reuters has reported the project is worth about €1.4 billion and could include up to 10,000 rooms. Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners is involved in the development, alongside partner companies.

The protests have been called the Flamingo Revolution by activists and some media outlets, a reference to the birds that use the Vjosa Narta wetlands.

Demonstrators have marched in Tirana carrying pink flamingo symbols and banners saying “Albania is not for sale”. The anger has spread beyond the environmental issue, with protesters accusing the government of giving politically connected foreign investors privileged access to protected coastal land.

The dispute has now moved into the legal system. Al Jazeera reported that Albania’s Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organised Crime, known as SPAK, opened an investigation into funds used to acquire land titles and their sale to investors.

AP also reported that Albania’s state anti corruption agency had confirmed an investigation related to the project, without disclosing details.

That inquiry gives the protests a sharper political edge. It moves the controversy from public anger over construction in a sensitive ecosystem to formal scrutiny of the land deals that made the project possible.

The government says the development would help turn Albania into a major high end tourism destination and support its wider economic ambitions as the country pursues European Union membership.

Rama has defended the investment and rejected calls for it to stop. The Guardian quoted him as saying there was “absolutely no chance” the investment would be halted while he remained in office.

The developers have also defended the project. Asher Abehsera, chairman of Sazan Real Estate Development, said the focus was on “responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation and creating long term value for local communities,” according to Al Jazeera and Reuters carried by international outlets.

Environmental groups say the project threatens one of Albania’s most important coastal ecosystems. Campaigners fear damage to several hundred hectares of undeveloped beaches and wetlands used by thousands of flamingos each year.

AP reported that heavy machinery had entered the area since late May, opening access routes, digging into sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing. Environmental groups said long protected habitats were being damaged.

The protests have also produced clashes. AP reported that police used water cannon during a demonstration in Tirana on 3 June. Protesters scuffled with police officers who had blocked streets during the march.

The political sensitivity comes partly from how the project became possible. Critics say changes to Albania’s protected areas framework in 2024 allowed large scale development in places that had previously been shielded from construction.

The project later received strategic investor status, a designation that can speed up approvals and give major investors privileged access to state procedures.

For critics, that sequence is central to the dispute: protected land was reclassified, a politically connected foreign project advanced, and public consultation appeared limited.

For Rama’s government, the project is presented as a chance to move Albania into a higher value tourism market and attract major foreign capital.

The Trump family link has made the dispute internationally visible. Kushner served as a senior adviser during Donald Trump’s first presidency before founding Affinity Partners. Ivanka Trump has publicly discussed the Albania project, and the Guardian reported that she visited the country earlier this year with a team of architects.

The controversy now sits at the intersection of several pressures: environmental protection, land ownership, foreign investment, corruption concerns and public anger over the future of Albania’s coastline.

The next test is whether the SPAK investigation and the street protests slow the project, or whether Rama’s government presses ahead with a development it says is central to Albania’s tourism ambitions.