Thousands protest Albania's approval of a Kushner-linked luxury resort on a protected coast: investment or theft?
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's plans to build a luxury resort along a protected stretch of Albania's Adriatic coast — after they 'found' the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan on a vacation — have triggered ten days of mass protests in Tirana. Albania's government gave the project preliminary approval, prompting daily demonstrations outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office. Protest organisers put turnout in the thousands; riot police fired tear gas and water cannon after some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails. Protesters say the government is 'selling things that are not theirs' — a protected coastal wetland where hundreds of bird species nest. Rama called protesters 'fascist' and defended the project as legitimate development that will meet EU environmental standards.
The summary above is a neutral framing. Below, each side reports the same story in its own words — judge for yourself.
Thousands of Albanians have flooded Tirana's streets for more than ten days, chanting 'Edi Rama out!' and calling on the prime minister to resign over his government's approval of a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The protest site, Zvérnec, is a protected coastal wetland directly across from Sazan island where hundreds of bird species nest in winter. 'It started with a national area being closed off to the public and big lorries starting to build in a protected area,' said protester Eden Hosha. 'We're tired of these guys stealing from us — stealing our resources, selling things that are not theirs to sell.' AP reports riot police fired tear gas and water cannon on demonstrators who threw Molotov cocktails during clashes in central Tirana.
Albania's government gave the Kushner resort project preliminary approval and assured the EU it will meet environmental standards, framing it as a legitimate tourism investment in a stretch of coastline Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner discovered during a private sailing trip on the Adriatic. 'Effectively, that's how we found it,' Ivanka Trump recounted on a podcast — the couple swam to Sazan island and hiked barefoot to the top, captivated by its untouched beauty. PM Edi Rama, who called some protesters 'fascist,' has defended the project as lawful development that will bring investment and tourism to a part of the Albanian coast that remains largely undeveloped, and which must comply with EU environmental rules now that Albania is an EU candidate.
