Albania braces for major anti-government protest over Kushner resort project

Albania is preparing for the biggest anti-government protest in weeks on Saturday night, with tens of thousands from all over country, as well as diaspora representatives from abroad, arriving in the capital Tirana, according to local media reports. The Balkan country has seen three weeks of demonstrations against a controversial luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

What began as a local campaign has evolved into a nationwide movement dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution” by local and international media, after the wading birds that inhabit the area targeted for development.

The slogan “Albania is not for sale” has become the movement’s rallying cry, reflecting concerns about foreign investment and transparency.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly praised Trump, defended Kushner’s investment plans and argued that greater US involvement in the Balkans serves broader Western strategic interests.

What is the resort Kushner is building?

The €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) development, approved in late 2024 and currently in the planning and preparatory stage, is being led by Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners. It consists of two separate projects: one on Sazan Island, at the entrance to the Bay of Vlorë where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet, and another near the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape on Albania’s southwestern coast.

The Sazan project would transform part of a former military outpost, dotted with bunkers and abandoned buildings, into a luxury tourism destination featuring hotels, private villas, apartments, a marina and other high-end facilities.

The mainland component is planned near the Vjosa-Narta wetland, one of Albania’s most important protected ecosystems and home to flamingos, monk seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

Why did Kushner choose Albania?

In an interview with Italian journalist Marzio Mian following his first visit to Sazan Island in 2021, Kushner said he was “very surprised that something like that existed in the middle of the Mediterranean and hadn’t been developed,” describing the island as a rare opportunity for luxury tourism.

Analysts say the Western Balkans offer some of Europe’s last relatively undeveloped coastal sites, while prospective EU membership could increase long-term asset values.

Why are Albanians angry?

Protesters and environmental groups say the project has become a symbol of opaque decision-making and preferential treatment for politically connected investors.

The government granted the project “Strategic Investor” status in December 2024, giving it access to accelerated administrative procedures. The decision followed a February 2024 amendment to Albania’s protected areas legislation that critics said made the development possible.

The Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK) has opened investigations into legislative changes, land-status decisions and administrative procedures connected to the development following complaints from opposition lawmakers and environmental groups.

Albania’s leading conservation group PPNEA told The Guardian there had been “no public consultation” and a “total lack of transparency.”