Several weeks after Ivanka Trump unveiled a real estate venture with husband Jared Kushner for a proposed multibillion-dollar resort on Albania’s coastline, the project has become the focal point of a mass uprising in the country. Furious demonstrators have filled the capital’s streets under signs declaring: “Albania is not a Gucci bag on sale.”
What began as a localized fight against what critics describe as an alleged land grab has evolved to widespread outrage over potential damage to the region’s protected coastal wildlife, culminating this week with hundreds of thousands of Albanians taking to the streets of Tirana, the capital, to demand the end of the country’s government as they know it. Protesters have sworn to keep going until their demands are met.
Objection to the Trump-Kushner plans began at ground level on May 23, when word got out of a proposed development in the Zvërnec area—some 9 miles away from Sazan—which is affiliated with Kushner’s company Affinity Partners. The plan for Sazan Island was already public, but the Zvërnec project triggered a very different kind of reaction, due to its Vjosa–Narta ecosystem, one of Europe’s last wild coastal systems.
News circulated among the roughly 150 locals that a residential and tourist complex had been proposed. A fence erected around a development site became the immediate trigger for confrontation; dozens of local residents and environmental activists attempted to remove the fence, leading to a clash with private security guards. The incident, filmed and widely circulated online, became the first viral moment of the dispute as people were dragged away—bringing national attention to a project that critics say was previously discussed with limited transparency.
Protests soon spread from the nearby city of Vlorë to Tirana. Within days, solidarity demonstrations were organized in Albanian diaspora communities in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Greece.
Unlike previous protests in Albania, this one claims no central leadership structure. It is decentralized, with students, activists, urban professionals, and diaspora groups converging around a shared set of grievances. It calls itself the Flamingo Revolution, named after the bird species that inhabits the area’s Narta Lagoon. Flamingo symbols—on banners, clothing, and social media—have become shorthand for resistance against what protesters describe as the privatization of coastal land and public nature.
Protesters are now calling for the resignation of Albania’s prime minister and the repeal of four pieces of legislation many say enable unchecked investment: the so-called “Mountain Package,” legislation for strategic investments, and amendments to the Law on Protected Areas and the Law on Cultural Heritage.
“We are protesting the protection and preservation of the environment, which has been privatized and handed over to oligarchic interests,” activist Entenela Ndrevataj tells WIRED. “This has concentrated the country’s wealth in the hands of a small group.”
Wildlife biologist Melitjan Nezaj argues that the ecological impact on the island could be irreversible. “Three habitat types have already been affected, and further construction would transform many more,” he told WIRED. He highlighted dune systems that take centuries to form. “Any intervention disrupts ecological processes developed over millennia. Thousands of species are affected, including endangered flora and fauna. Waterbirds are especially vulnerable.”
Urban planner Doriana Musai says the issue is not a single project but a systemic pattern. “The problem is the precedent created when protected areas are treated as negotiable territory,” she said. Similar disputes across Albania’s coastline have fueled long-standing frustration over transparency and public access.
The proposed development along Zvërnec’s protected area is described in planning materials as a large multifunctional tourism complex. Available documents suggest a footprint of around 437 hectares, with major construction covering over 250 hectares along a 15-kilometer coastline. Plans reportedly include villas, hotels, apartments, entertainment facilities, and a marina, with buildings ranging from one to eight stories. The protests have also drawn attention to other coastal development plans, including proposals linked to Sazan Island, where investment discussions involving Kushner have sparked debate.
Beyond the environmental concerns, the Sazan project has been accompanied from the start by a notable lack of transparency. Although presented as one of the largest tourism investments in Albania’s history, key documents—including the full investment agreement and the environmental impact assessment—have not been published, while official information has remained partial and often inconsistent.
In recent days, Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has announced probes into several investments in Tirana and along the coast. At least five Albanian shareholders in the ownership structure remain undisclosed, as the shares are arranged in a way that avoids public disclosure requirements, but the Albanian businessmen highlighted in a SPAK investigation are close to political circles and, in some cases, have criminal records.
Reports in Albanian media suggest the development company, Zvërnec South Adriatic Development, is controlled through a network of Dutch-registered entities, while the ultimate owners have not been revealed. The involvement of the Kastrati Group, Albania’s largest privately owned conglomerate, has also been reported, though its exact role is still unclear.
Zvërnec Adriatic South Development, Kastrati Group, and SPAK did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The government defends the development strategy as essential for transforming Albania into a high-end Mediterranean tourism destination. Prime Minister Edi Rama has framed such investments as part of long-term economic modernization, arguing they will increase national revenue and international visibility. Rama initially proposed dialog with the protesters, but as resistance grew he abandoned that approach and shifted to discrediting the movement.
“The problem is not the flamingos,” he said in a social media post, describing the protesters. “The problem is that the flamingos refuse to listen to the facts, discuss solutions, and coordinate efforts with institutions and serious sources of expertise in order to protect everything that needs protection while allowing the right project to move forward. In doing so, they become tools of the crows and ravens that surround them.”
Initially, protesters were described in various ways—ranging from accusations of being influenced by foreign interests to being labeled as agents of external powers. Later, criticism extended to international media coverage, and more recently the protests have been framed as driven by influencers and algorithms rather than genuine civic mobilization.
The protests have sparked both hope and anger at the same time, creating a domino effect across several Albanian cities. Inspired by the dismantling of the fence in Zvërnec, citizens have torn down barriers that, in their view, symbolize the abuse of power and the privatization of public spaces. Similar actions have taken place in Rrjoll and Librazhd, and most recently in Kakome Bay on the Albanian Riviera. For nearly two decades, access to the bay had been restricted due to long-standing property disputes, preventing the public from freely reaching one of the country’s most scenic coastal areas.
Rama, in an interview with Albanian media, denied that Ivanka Trump’s remarks about Sazan were accurate or reflective of the actual investment process. Rama defended the proposed developments, dismissing concerns as misunderstandings, and stated that in Albania islands cannot be privately given or taken in secrecy. Protesters are unpersuaded; earlier this week there were calls for a nationwide mobilization of demonstrations to take place this Saturday. They are now demanding a technical government and early elections.
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