Global D Report: "Cannot Sell Albania to Trump's Son-in-Law"... 'Flamingos' Fill the Space in Front of the Prime Minister's Office

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

Protests have been continuing daily against Jared Kushner, the eldest son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is pushing to develop a luxury resort on the coast near Sazan Island and Zvërnec in southern Albania, which are protected areas for flamingos and sea turtles.

[Cancel the project! Cancel the project!]

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

[Vaspi Lushaj/Albanian Protester: Albanian land 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 growing controversy over preferential treatment, frustration and anxiety are also rising over the government selling national land to foreign capital.

The number of participants in the protests, which have continued for three weeks, is steadily increasing, and the issues 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, which started for the protection of flamingos, is now evolving as more people want a revolution and want to change the judicial and educational systems.]

Controversies over development privileges surrounding Kushner, who also serves as a diplomatic envoy for Trump, continue to arise.

Last year in Serbia, an investment firm linked to Kushner attempted to develop a former Ministry of Defense building into a luxury hotel, but eventually abandoned the project 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.