Thousands protest Kushner-linked resort project in Albania

Thousands of demonstrators in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Thursday again took to the streets to protest a project linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Mass protests in Tirana have been ongoing for over a week.

The immediate trigger for the demonstrations was the start of work in a protected zone on the Adriatic coast, where a company linked to Kushner, with the consent of the Albanian government, plans to build a luxury resort.

However, from the outset, demonstrators have demanded not only the cessation of the project but also the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has been ruling the country for 13 years.

Edi Rama himself stated in parliament last week that the protesters were unnecessarily worried, as Kushner's project had not yet been finally approved, and its environmental impact assessment had not yet been completed.

"The government is corrupt, the opposition is corrupt, both are involved, and we hope to achieve something," said Sarah Bregasi, a participant in the latest demonstration, to Reuters. "These are our first protests of this scale, and for the first time, no parties are involved."

"Of course, the main thing is to bring down this government," stated another demonstrator, Orgest Noka, to Reuters. "I would like to see a new generation in parliament, a completely new one."

Bulldozers on the shore

The first protest took place at the end of May, when workers fenced off part of the protected zone where the resort is planned to be built, and bulldozers appeared on the coast.

Clashes occurred between protesters and security guards from a private firm near the fence. After that, a protest was organized in the capital, Tirana, near government buildings.

Mass demonstrations began last week. Their participants claim that large-scale construction in the protected zone on the Adriatic coast will cause irreparable damage to nature – both on the coast and in the sea.

Kushner's project covers the Zvernec peninsula and the nearby small island of Sazan in southern Albania.

Plans include hotels, private villas, restaurants, a yacht port, as well as the adaptation of multi-kilometer tunnels and fortifications on Sazan for entertainment purposes. During the Cold War and the isolationist regime of Enver Hoxha, this island was a closed military base for decades.

Sazan Island and another peninsula near it, Karaburun, were declared a National Marine Park 16 years ago.

The project is being handled by the firm Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, which is affiliated with Kushner's investment company Affinity Partners.

The Albanian government has granted the project "strategic investor" status, which allows it to bypass some lengthy approval procedures and tenders.