New Albania gleams under the sun, amid modern towers, luxury hotels and major construction projects. But alongside this image, old Albania appears to be slowly disappearing.
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It is against this backdrop that one of the most distinctive protests of recent months is taking place: the protest against Jared Kushner’s project in Sazan and Zvërnec.
On Tirana’s New Boulevard, near the site of the former railway station, a brightly painted armored vehicle from the communist era stands opposite a new apartment complex. The image is symbolic: the old and the new facing each other.
Protesters from Albania and the diaspora gather beside the armored vehicle. They hold placards and cardboard flamingos. The symbol has now become the defining emblem of the movement that the media have dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution.”
At the center of the protest is the project of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. In 2024, he presented plans to build a luxury resort on the island of Sazan and in the Narta area, near Zvërnec. The investment is expected to exceed one billion euros.
But the project has sparked strong opposition because of the area’s environmental status. The Narta Lagoon is an important habitat for birds, including flamingos, and is part of a protected area.
At the beginning of 2025, Parliament approved legal changes that opened the way for major investment projects in protected areas as well, prompting reactions from environmental organizations and activists.
Protests Beyond the Environment
However, the opposition is not related solely to nature protection. Protesters are also raising issues involving land ownership, transparency, corruption and the way decisions are made on major projects, the German media outlet Berliner Zeitung reports.
SPAK is investigating Albanian businessman Artur Shehu over suspected falsification of property ownership documents in the Zvërnec area. He is also suspected of real estate transactions that, according to the investigation, may have been used to launder money.
These are allegations that remain under investigation and do not constitute a final judicial ruling.
In this climate, attention has also focused on the relationship between the project and the Trump family. Media reports have raised questions about whether the investors were informed earlier about disputes over land ownership in Zvërnec.
However, this does not constitute evidence that Jared Kushner was aware of any illegality or that he was involved in any wrongdoing.
Sidorela Vatnikaj: “We Are Not Against Investment”
Among the protesters is activist Sidorela Vatnikaj, who has long been engaged in opposing gentrification and the way urban development is carried out in Tirana.
She says the protesters are not against foreign investment, nor personally against Kushner or the Trump family. According to her, the opposition concerns the way projects are approved and implemented.
“No one is against investment. But everyone must follow the rules,” is the message repeated during the protests.
For the activists, the problem is that economic development should not come at the expense of residents, the environment or compliance with the law.
The old communist armored vehicle accompanying the protest also carries symbolic meaning. It recalls the regime’s use of force during the final period of communism, while today it is used as a symbol of a civil and political struggle against what protesters consider an excessive concentration of power.
Criticism of Edi Rama
An important part of the protest has been directed against Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Rama, who led the Tirana Municipality from 2000 to 2011, became known for the visual transformation of the capital and the use of color on building facades. Since 2013, he has led the Albanian government.
His supporters portray the Socialists’ period in government as a phase of the country’s modernization, marked by increased investment, tourism development and progress in the European integration process.
Critics, meanwhile, argue that this development has created an Albania of two realities: a modern country attractive to foreign investors, but one with sharp social inequalities and a high cost of living for many citizens.
The Diaspora Returns to Protest
Albanians living in various European countries also took part in the protests in Tirana.
Ledjamo Cela, an Albanian engineer living in Berlin, views Tirana’s transformation with a mixture of admiration and criticism.
The glass towers, hotels and international brands, he says, show a country that has changed radically. But he raises the question of who benefits from this development.
“Everything is beautiful. But not for everyone,” is his message.
According to protesters from the diaspora, many educated young Albanians continue to leave the country because of the lack of professional opportunities and the living standards they seek.
Albania Between Development and Inequality
Today’s Albania is a long way from the image of the 1990s. The economy has grown, tourism has developed and Tirana has changed noticeably.
But this change has also brought new conflicts.
For many citizens, the question is no longer whether Albania should develop, but how it should develop and who should benefit from that development.
Political scientist Afrim Krasniqi sees this discontent as part of a broader process. According to him, part of Albanian society is seeking a new standard of governance, closer to that of European countries.
Rama’s critics accuse the prime minister of concentrating power and engaging in political patronage. These are political allegations that Rama and the Socialist majority reject.
At the end of the protest, a large plastic flamingo passes over the demonstrators’ heads. For some, it is simply the symbol of a protest against a resort. For others, it is a sign of a much broader conflict: a new Albania seeking investment and development, facing a society demanding transparency, equality and respect for the law.
The “Flamingo Revolution” is therefore more than a protest over Sazan and Narta. It has become a debate over the model of Albania being built and the question of whom it is being built for.
