Albania Protests Over Planned Luxury Resort Linked to Ivanka and Jared Kushner

Albania is heading into a fifth day of protests over a planned luxury resort. President Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are driving this development. Ivanka told a story on a podcast of noticing the island while on a friend's yacht and feeling captivated by the natural beauty of the spot where they now plan a giant hotel. It would be built near sensitive wetlands by the Adriatic Sea, home to endangered wildlife. Megan Williams reports.

They're calling it the Flamingo Revolution. Plastic replicas of the pink birds bobbed above the crowds in Tirana, Albania, this week as thousands protested a resort deal they say has moved ahead with little transparency. Some held signs reading, Ivanka, keep your hands away from Narta. The estimated $1.6 billion project would cover a former military island and a pristine stretch of coastline near the Vjosa-Narta wetlands, home to endangered birds, Mediterranean monk seals and other wildlife. It's linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who recently said on a podcast they, quote, "have 5 miles of beachfront." A spokesperson says the site is being developed by Sazan Real Estate Company and that investors connected to Kushner's Affinity Partners are involved in their personal capacity. Developers say they will move ahead responsibly. But Xhemal Xherri with an Albanian NGO that monitors the wetlands says there has been no consultation. He says the area was cordoned off with barbed-wire fencing with no warning and private security brought in. XHEMAL XHERRI: We saw these machines going on the field. Every day, they were putting concrete, gravel, and we immediately started to ask for the construction permit and other documentation. But none of the institutions gave us nothing.

Prime Minister Edi Rama says Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries, must stay open to investors as it pushes to join the European Union by 2030. "There is no chance that this investment will stop as long as I'm here," he said this week. Many Albanians want jobs tourism can bring, but anti-corruption prosecutors are now looking into questionable legal changes the government made to the status of protected areas. And protesters say they'll keep taking to the streets. For NPR News, I'm Megan Williams.