Albanians’ revolt against the Rama government / French media outlet “Paris Match”: From Tirana to Paris, citizens protest every day, with sharp criticism of the government

The protests taking place in Tirana are increasingly drawing the attention of international media. French magazine Paris Match writes that “thousands of citizens have protested against the plan to develop a tourist complex in the protected Vjosa-Narta area and on Sazan Island.”

According to the article, the protests have continued for several days, while citizens have called for the cancellation of the project and voiced criticism of the government, also demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, whom they accuse of favoring investors at the expense of the environment.

The issue has also attracted attention outside Albania, with protests by the Albanian diaspora in Paris, while environmental organizations warn of the possible consequences for one of the most important biodiversity areas in the Mediterranean.

PARIS MATCH article

The construction of a luxury coastal resort by a company linked to the Trump family, inside a nature reserve on the Albanian coast, has sparked a strong wave of opposition.

Thousands of people marched on Saturday evening in Tirana against the plan to build this luxury resort by a company linked to the Trump family in a protected natural area on the Albanian coast.

Protests against the project, estimated at around 4 billion euros and linked to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, are growing ever larger in the country.

Waving Albanian flags or carrying placards reading “Ivanka, go home” and “Albania is not for sale,” some of them signed “Gen Z,” protesters moved through the city center and stopped in front of government headquarters, where they also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

This was the largest protest since the first rally organized on Monday in the Albanian capital.

The prime minister accuses “foreign forces”

Accused by protesters of “favoring investors at the expense of the country’s interests,” Rama has repeatedly said he will not abandon the project and has accused “foreign forces” of fueling these protests.

He said on Friday that “there is no reason for concern” and that the project has not yet been approved. He stressed that “the best experts” in the world have been engaged and that the goal is “to create something unique.”

Earlier in the day, several hundred people had gathered at the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon, about 150 kilometers southwest of Tirana, precisely at the site where preparations for the construction area had begun in recent days, triggering the protesters’ reaction.

“This entire marine area is protected. Its destruction would be fatal for biodiversity,” Emiljona Puja, who works in the financial sector, told AFP.

On a sandy beach facing blue waters, some protesters held inflatable pink flamingos or paper cutouts of them — now the symbol of the movement — while chanting: “Cancel the project!”

Many migratory birds, including pink flamingos

Clashes had also occurred at the site during the first protest at the end of May, after barbed wire was put up to restrict the area — later removed — and after videos showing bulldozers on the beach were posted online.

The coastal Vjosa-Narta lagoon is home to many migratory birds, including pink flamingos.

“The problem is not only related to the lack of transparency in this process, but also to the fact that everything has been done while completely disregarding the environmental importance of this area,” explained Denisa Kasa, an activist with the Albanian environmental protection organization PPNEA, stressing that it is “one of the most important biodiversity areas in the Mediterranean.”

In March 2024, Jared Kushner had confirmed an investment plan to turn Sazan Island, a former secret military base, into a luxury tourist destination.

Since Ivanka Trump’s visits to the area during the winter, together with investors, there has also been talk of building luxury hotels in the Vjosa-Narta lagoon.

A protest also in Paris

On Sunday, under clear skies, several hundred French citizens of Albanian origin gathered at Place Joachim-du-Bellay, in Paris’s 1st arrondissement.

Among the slogans heard from this crowd, determined to defend the people’s rights against wealthy promoters, many were aimed at Albanian leaders, who were accused of putting Albania up for sale and of not respecting the will of the people.