Fury over Jared Kushner’s Albania resort project threatens to engulf political elite

As protests in Tirana extend into a second week, they have escalated from opposition to two €5 billion (US$5.7 billion) planned resorts in ecologically sensitive areas linked to Jared Kushner into demands for the entire Albanian political establishment to step aside.

Anger erupted on the coast on May 30 when bulldozers moved into one of the sites, spreading to the capital two days later.

Every evening at 6pm since then, thousands of people have been gathering in a central square and marching down the main boulevard to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office, carrying national flags, home-made banners and posters.

With no formal leadership, the marches are organised on social media, drawing students, environmental activists, residents and professionals. Videos taken during the “Flamingo Revolution” – named after the birds that would be affected by the luxury developments – have been circulating widely on TikTok and Instagram, helping to sustain momentum.

Protesters say both the ruling Socialist Party and Sali Berisha’s Democratic Party are corrupt and willing to sell their country to the highest bidder, with little regard for its nature and beauty.

The two parties have dominated Albanian politics since the end of communism in the early 1990s. Rama has been in power for 13 years while 81-year-old Berisha, a former prime minister and president, is sanctioned by the US over alleged corruption.