For an entire week, continuous demonstrations have occupied the sidewalk directly outside Albania’s prime ministerial office in central Tirana, turning a normally quiet government district into a hub of grassroots activism. While the small Balkan nation is no stranger to political rallies – the main opposition Democratic Party (PD) has staged them so frequently that locals joke they have become an unexpected landmark for visiting tourists – this week’s nightly gatherings are fundamentally different. Unlike the standard partisan protests that dominate Tirana’s streets, these demonstrations target both Prime Minister Edi Rama’s socialist government and a high-profile foreign investor: Jared Kushner, former US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and head of the investment firm Affinity Partners.
At the heart of public anger lies a massive proposed luxury tourism development earmarked for Albania’s pristine northern Adriatic coast, spanning Sazan Island and a protected wetland site near the coastal city of Vlora in Zvernec. Affinity Partners is set to be one of the lead investors in the project, which Rama has embraced as a transformative opportunity for Albania’s growing tourism economy. But grassroots protesters have rejected the plan outright, and their movement diverges sharply from the country’s established partisan divides. In a break from opposition norms, many demonstrators have carried signs calling not just for Rama’s resignation but also for the imprisonment of Sali Berisha, PD leader who faces separate public corruption charges, making clear the movement is independent of mainstream political factions.
Adopting a striking pink flamingo as their official emblem, the movement draws inspiration from the 2020s Serbian civic protest movement that used a giant yellow rubber duck as a unifying symbol. For Albanian protesters, the choice is deeply personal: the protected coastal wetlands targeted by the development are a critical habitat for the greater flamingo, a protected species whose survival in the region is already threatened. Beyond wildlife, the development puts dozens of other native plant and animal species that rely on the protected wetland ecosystem at risk, environmental activists argue.
Protesters have also raised sharp questions about the lack of transparency surrounding the deal, noting that negotiations between Affinity Partners and the Albanian government began as early as 2024 without meaningful public input. Many signs carried at the rallies declare “Albania is not for sale,” reflecting widespread anger over the concession of ecologically sensitive public land to foreign developers. While the Albanian government claims all land involved is privately owned and acquired through fully transparent legal procedures, legacy issues from Albania’s 20th-century political history complicate that narrative. After 45 years of total state nationalisation under Communist rule, the post-1990 privatisation process left overlapping, unresolved property claims across much of the country, leaving open questions about the legitimacy of the land transfer.
For the mostly young cohort of demonstrators, however, environmental protection remains the core motivating force. Joni Vorpsi, an ecologist with PPNEA-BirdLife Albania, explained that the proposed development is far more expansive than the government has acknowledged. “This is not a small eco-resort – it would be a new tourist city with around 10,000 accommodation rooms,” Vorpsi said. “It would completely destroy that wild, untouched region. We are demanding all construction halts immediately, and all heavy machinery be removed from the protected area.”
The project has already faced disruption, with police deploying water cannons to disperse demonstrators at one recent rally, escalating tensions between protesters and authorities. Rama has struck a defiant tone in response, appearing openly exasperated by the sustained demonstrations. He has characterised protesters as “well-meaning but misinformed” about the project’s environmental safeguards, arguing that the €4 billion investment would deliver widespread economic benefits, including thousands of new jobs and upgrades to local infrastructure. Going further, Rama has framed the protests as a “hybrid war” driven by economic competition from rival Mediterranean tourism powers, accusing regional actors of sabotaging Albania’s growing tourism sector. That thinly veiled jab at Greece has spilled into public view, with Rama publishing an open rebuke of former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras over alleged involvement in stoking unrest.
For Kushner, the backlash is not an unfamiliar experience in the Balkans. Earlier this year, he pulled out of a planned Trump International Hotel development in Belgrade, Serbia, after sustained local opposition and the arrest of a senior government minister on corruption charges linked to the project. Backed by the firm, Kushner’s business partner Asher Abehsera has defended the Albanian project’s integrity, stressing that the development prioritises “responsible stewardship” of the coastal environment. “Our focus remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities,” Abehsera said, echoing the firm’s public commitment to sustainable development.
But with protesters dismissing these assurances and vowing to continue demonstrations until the project is scrapped entirely, the pink flamingo emblem is likely to remain a permanent fixture outside the prime minister’s office for the foreseeable future.
