[Global D Report] "Albania Is Not for Sale to Trump's Son-in-Law": 'Flamingos' Fill the Streets Outside Prime Minister's Office

The area in front of the Prime Minister's office in Tirana, the capital of Albania, has been filled with protesters holding models of pink flamingos.

Protests have been continuing for days against the development of an ultra-luxury resort by Jared Kushner, the eldest son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Sazan Island and the nearby coast of Zvërnec in southern Albania, which are protected habitats for flamingos and sea turtles.

[Cancel the project! Cancel the project!]

The protests, which began on June 1 led by environmental groups, are evolving into anti-government demonstrations. This is because the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama amended relevant laws two years ago—which previously prohibited construction within the flamingo sanctuary—under the pretext of attracting foreign investment, thereby paving the way for Kushner's resort development.

[Vaspi Lushaj/Albanian Protester: The land of Albania must be preserved for our children to enjoy, and it should not be used by the government to be sold off for short-term gains.]

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who aims to turn Albania into a high-end European vacation and tourist destination, personally guided Ivanka Trump and her husband Kushner when they visited the proposed resort site.

Amidst the boiling controversy over preferential treatment, public frustration and anxiety over the government selling the country's land to foreign capital have also surged.

The number of participants in the protests, which have continued for three weeks, is steadily increasing, and the themes have expanded to include accumulated grievances over pensions, wages, rent, and government corruption.

The movement has even been dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution."

[Arnel Sula/Albanian Protester: The protest that started for the protection of flamingos is now evolving as more people join who want a revolution and want to change the judicial and educational systems.]

Controversy over development favors surrounding Kushner, who also serves as a diplomatic envoy for Trump, continues to persist.

Last year in Serbia, an investment firm linked to Kushner attempted to develop a former Ministry of Defense building into an ultra-luxury hotel, but the project was eventually abandoned due to controversy over the destruction of cultural heritage and fierce protest demonstrations.

Reported by Yu Deok-gi | Video by Choi Hye-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.