Albanian authorities used high-pressure water cannons and tear gas on Thursday to disperse demonstrating citizens, who responded by throwing eggs and bottles at security forces. The incident marks a new escalation of tensions, fueled by Jared Kushner’s projects to build a luxury complex worth several billion dollars.
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The confrontations outside the Parliament building constitute an isolated incident of violence, as largely peaceful demonstrations have been held in Tirana for about two months. Activists view the construction plans on the coast as a threat to nature and an expression of corruption.
The movement has been dubbed by its organizers the “Flamingo Revolution,” a reference to the flocks of flamingos that inhabit the protected lagoon where President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner plans to build exclusive hotels.
Officers equipped with shields and crowd-control gear used high-pressure water against hundreds of people shaking the metal barricades around the Parliament building. The crowd chanted: “Thank you, Trump, for uniting us!”
Prime Minister Edi Rama has given strong backing to Kushner’s project and other developments, describing the protests as artificially organized by political opponents. A protester identified as Pirro said of his participation: “I want to help bring down this government. Rama must go. He is a thief.”
Another protester, 27-year-old Noel Leshja, was determined: “We will continue to exert pressure through protests. Without pressure, they will keep selling off Albania.” Reuters reported this month that Albanian investigators suspect a Miami-based entrepreneur who sold the land to Kushner’s development partners had forged ownership documents. The same person also faces money-laundering charges, allegedly linked to cocaine traffickers. He has denied all the allegations, while the development company maintains the land purchase was legal.
Although Kushner has promoted the resort on this previously unknown coastline, which he says he discovered with his wife, Ivanka Trump, on a yacht trip, he has made no public statement since the unrest began. The development company has acknowledged that Kushner is one of the investors, but has not provided details of his actual stake or the amount invested.
Earlier this year, there were also sharp tensions when crowds demanded the removal of then-deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku over allegations of corrupt dealings. Soon after, she was removed from her post.
