According to the Italian media outlet, what began as opposition to plans to build luxury resorts in protected areas has turned into a protest with direct political demands.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of the Rama government and sweeping changes to the state administration.

The article says that thousands of citizens continue to gather in Tirana’s squares before marching toward government institutions, while stressing that for three days, on August 14, 15 and 16, the diaspora will fill the squares and streets of Tirana.

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It has now been almost three months since, around the middle of last May, Albanian citizens launched the “flamingo revolt,” which began as opposition to the unrestricted sale of Albanian land and the construction of luxury resorts in protected areas, but very quickly became a vehicle for protest against the government and the entire political class. Dozens of people have been arrested for various criminal offenses, while police are attempting to suppress the marches, including through the use of force. In addition to protesting in public squares, activists are also taking action on other fronts: a petition has been launched seeking the repeal of the provision allowing the construction of resorts and luxury facilities in protected areas.

The protests in Albania have reached their 75th consecutive day. The demonstration, which has now become a ritual, begins in the late afternoon in Tirana’s central squares, where citizens gather to protest before marching toward government buildings, which are currently closed for the summer holidays. Although months have passed since the protests began, turnout has remained steady: thousands of citizens continue to take to the capital’s squares to demand the resignation of the Rama government and a sweeping restructuring of the state apparatus, which they consider corrupt. The main demands remain unchanged: in addition to the government’s resignation, protesters are calling for the repeal of Law 21/2024 on protected areas, Law 55/2015 on strategic investments and Law 20/2025 on investments in mountainous areas, as well as the revocation of all permits issued under these provisions.

The flamingo movement is diverse but united. It includes representatives of various civic and religious groups, who have now begun addressing many aspects of Albanian society considered critical. In recent weeks, one of the most widely discussed issues has been a new government initiative aimed at reducing the number of municipalities by merging some of them. Today, the Divjaka community’s protest against the municipal merger plan reached its 14th day. The protests have also been fueled by singer Kanye West’s recent concert, for which the Ministry of Culture reportedly allocated 4.2 million euros. “All the support provided to the country’s independent arts scene amounts to just 1.9 million euros,” activists argue, while demanding radical changes within the ministry.

The protesters are not only taking action in public squares, but also at the institutional level: the Albanian Diaspora Movement, together with 11 other civil society organizations, has submitted a referendum question to the Central Election Commission seeking the repeal of Law 21/2024, which, according to its sponsors, opens the way for speculation in protected areas. The same movement has announced that, starting tomorrow, it will return to Albania’s squares and join its compatriots in the country: the movement of Albanians living abroad will also take to the streets of Tirana on August 15 and 16.

The protests in Albania began last May. Initially directed against the luxury real estate project of Affinity Partners, the company owned by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, they quickly developed into a broader anti-government movement and later into a movement against the entire political system. On several occasions, the protests have been suppressed by force and dozens of demonstrators have been arrested. The exact number of people detained in connection with the protests is unknown, but according to the Social Justice association and lawyer Gentian Sejrani, a representative of the same organization, some of those arrested are suspected of having been assaulted while in custody.

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Italian media “L’Espresso” has paid attention to the attacks of Prime Minister Edi Rama against the protesters, who have continued for about two months in the square in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding his removal from power.

In an article, the media refers to the prime minister’s statements yesterday during a live video on social media, where he again labeled the protesters as “crows and ravens.”

“His tone became contemptuous when he emphasized the distance between the two categories he himself created. He expressed respect for the ‘flamingos’ (‘They taught me a lot.’) For the others, he spoke very differently: ‘As for the crows and ravens, I feel only disgust. They scream, curse, sing vulgar words, and believe they can change the world. They change nothing and will have no chance here in Albania,’ the article quotes.

The media also describes the protest as the biggest anti-government movement in years in Albania, while mentioning how the prime minister has tried to quell it using mockery and conspiracy theories about foreign interference.

“This is not the first time Rama has attacked the flamingo movement. From the first weeks, the prime minister has alternated between mockery and conspiracy theories: he dismissed the protests as an ‘imaginary flamingo revolution,’ evoked a ‘hybrid war’ piloted from abroad – involving Iran and Greece in this situation – and, in an interview with the Financial Times, told the protesters ‘to hell,'” the article further states.

Full article:

Edi Rama is not backing down. Nearly two months after protests swept Tirana (and beyond), the Albanian prime minister returned today to his attack on the so-called “Flamingo Revolution” movement – demonstrations that began at the end of May against a mega-resort linked to Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the protected area of Vjosa-Narta. This has become the biggest anti-government protest in years, with calls for the prime minister’s resignation, who has been in power since 2013.

In an online dialogue with citizens, Rama divided the path of the demonstrations into two parts: on one side the “flamingos,” on the other the “crows and ravens.” “This path is clearly divided for me, because it is divided by history,” he said. “The story of the flamingos” would be that of the “new Albania”; that of the “crows and ravens that have invaded” would simply be “the past presenting itself in very dangerous and disturbing forms.”

His tone became contemptuous when he emphasized the distance between the two categories he himself created. He expressed respect for the “flamingos” (“They taught me a lot.”) For the others, he spoke very differently: “As for the crows and ravens, I feel only disgust. They scream, curse, sing vulgar words in chorus and believe they can change the world. They change nothing and will have no chance here in Albania.”

The prime minister repeated his attack on “right-wing and left-wing extremism” composed of “charlatans, illusionists, ignoramuses and failures filled with rage”; on the other hand, his economic agenda – the “Mountain Package,” major investments and an increase in GDP from 27 to 35 billion euros by 2030. “This is the story of the future,” he repeated. He also criticized those who question the presence of foreigners and foreign capital: those who call for “an Albania only for Albanians” would represent “the worst thing that could happen to this country.”

This is not the first time Rama has attacked the flamingo movement. From the first weeks, the prime minister has alternated between mockery and conspiracy theories: he dismissed the protests as an ‘imaginary flamingo revolution,’ evoked a ‘hybrid war’ piloted from abroad – involving Iran and Greece in this situation – and, in an interview with the Financial Times, told the protesters ‘to hell’.

The post Biggest anti-government protest in years / Italian media: Rama attacked protesters, labeling them ‘crows and ravens’! The prime minister has tried to quell the movement with mockery and conspiracy theories appeared first on Albeu.com.