Albania: New protests against project linked to Trump family

Hundreds of people gathered in Albania's protected Vjosa-Nartë lagoon on Saturday to protest a luxury beach resort project linked to the family of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Activists and local residents responded to calls from environmental organizations, assembling at the bay, located about 150 kilometers southwest of the capital, Tirana.

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This entire marine area is a protected zone. Its destruction would also lead to the extinction of this region's biodiversity.

"This entire marine area is a protected zone. Its destruction would also lead to the extinction of this region's biodiversity," Emiljona Puja, a finance professional, told AFP. Protesters, some waving Albanian flags and carrying inflatable flamingos, a symbol of their movement, chanted "Cancel the project!" The area had previously seen unrest in late May when the first protest occurred during preparations for construction, including the installation of barbed wire to fence off the territory. The barbed wire has since been removed.

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Cancel the project!

Videos posted on social media showing construction work and bulldozers on the beach prompted crowds to rush to the site. On Saturday, however, the machinery was absent, and concrete fence foundations had also been removed. Protests against the approximately four-billion-euro project, associated with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, have intensified across the Balkan country. In Tirana, thousands have protested nightly for nearly a week, condemning what they describe as the destruction of vast areas of the Vjosa-Nartë nature reserve to create a luxury tourist destination. Plans also include transforming the uninhabited Sazan Island, once a secret communist military base, into a chic tourist spot.

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This issue is not only about the transparency of this entire process but also about how it proceeded with complete disregard for the ecological importance of this region.

The bay on the southern Adriatic coast is a habitat for numerous migratory birds, including flamingos. "This issue is not only about the transparency of this entire process but also about how it proceeded with complete disregard for the ecological importance of this region," said Denisa Kasa from the Albanian Association for Environmental Protection (PPNEA). "This territory is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean region," Kasa added. Prime Minister Edi Rama attempted to downplay the protests on Friday, asserting there was "no reason to worry" and that the project had not yet been approved. He claimed that "the best" global experts were involved in the planning and that its goal was to "create something unique."

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This territory is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean region.