Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Albania to protest against a major coastal development project linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. One of the largest demonstrations ever seen has erupted in protest against plans to build luxury resorts along the country’s Adriatic coastline.Thousands of people gathered peacefully in the capital Tirana on Saturday evening. Earlier the same day, several hundred people also protested in Zvernec. Joining the demonstrations, Albanian Australian swimmer Eva Buzo swam a distance of 15 kilometers (9 mi) around the disputed island in protest against development plans in the protected area.The government says the project will be a major boost for Albania, helping to transform it into a high-end tourist destination while also supporting its goal of joining the European Union.But the plan, set on an abandoned island and a stretch of coastline in southern Albania, has sparked strong opposition from environmental groups and critics of longtime socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
break project
The development plan consists of two parts: a coastal project in the Narta Lagoon, which is a wildlife sanctuary, and a separate resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former communist-era military base.It is linked to Kushner and Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and includes plans for a hotel, villas, apartments and a marina.Speaking in an interview with US podcaster David Cenara, Ivanka Trump said the couple had come to the location by chance.An investment firm linked to Kushner has been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities.Albania’s 450 kilometers (280 mi) coastline remained largely undeveloped during decades of communist rule, when strict controls limited construction and tourism.
Why are the Albanians protesting?
Protest groups fear that parts of this untouched coastline could be handed over to powerful investors. Anger has escalated after a private security guard dragged a worker during a protest in a video.The project is located within a nature reserve, considered one of the key biodiversity areas of Albania and an important stopover for migratory birds on the Adriatic route.At protests in Tirana, demonstrators held cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, a protected species in the area.Since late May, heavy machinery including excavators have entered the site, opening access roads, digging in sandy areas, clearing pine trees and erecting fences.Environmental groups in Albania and across Europe have strongly criticized the actions, saying long-protected habitats are being “irreversibly destroyed.”
The project has also come under scrutiny from Albania’s state anti-corruption agency, which has confirmed it has opened an investigation, although details have not been released.
The government is continuously defending
The government says the land is privately owned, but there are competing claims over its status, with disputes over ownership still ongoing.Prime Minister Edi Rama has strongly defended the project, saying that it is in line with Albania’s ambition to become a major global tourism hub.“Albania should not be a country that is afraid of such an extraordinary project, where extraordinary partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion),” Rama said.He added, “As long as I’m here, there’s no chance of this investment stopping.”However, the controversy has been compared to a similar project in Serbia which later collapsed due to legal trouble. In November, Serbia’s parliament passed a special law to allow a luxury complex in Belgrade linked to Kushner’s investment firm.Soon after, prosecutors charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office and falsification of documents related to the project.Kushner later withdrew from the multimillion-dollar plan, which was set to transform a bombed military complex previously protected as a heritage site until its status was changed by authorities now under trial.