“Albania is not for sale.” This is the battle cry that has gripped Tirana, the country’s capital and largest city, for the past two weeks. Thousands of people have been taking to the streets every day to rally against two mega-tourism projects championed by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner – the daughter and son-in-law of the American president – in a paradisiacal corner of the Adriatic coast.
“This is our home and we’ve come to defend it,” says Ana Kodra, on Thursday, June 11. She’s a 22-year-old protester, with the country’s flag strapped to her back.
Every day at 6 p.m., thousands of Albanians – mostly young people – gather in Skanderbeg Square, a 430,000-square-foot colossus in the political and cultural heart of Tirana. There, they raise their voices against the plan to transform Sazan Island and the neighboring Zvërnec Peninsula – part of a protected ecological reserve in the southwest of the country – into the latest sun-and-beach tourism sensation in Southern Europe.
During an interview in early-June, Ivanka Trump referred to the area – one of Albania’s richest wild ecosystems – as an “unbelievable, beautiful 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean.”
The country’s environmental organizations have a radically different version of events. They assert that Albanian heritage is at risk and that the projects endanger nearly 250 bird species, including several colonies of flamingos. This bird has become the symbol of the protests. “The environmental disaster that’s happening insults our dignity as a country,” says Ermal Progni, a volunteer with the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) association. The group is one of the organizers of the demonstrations, which have been taking place in Tirana for more than two consecutive weeks.
The wave of demonstrations has focused the world’s attention on this small country on the Adriatic Sea. Known as the “Flamingo Revolution,” it’s already considered to be the country’s most significant environmental protest since the fall of the communist regime in 1991. “We never imagined that a revolution was possible in our country, or even that it was possible to utter the word ‘revolution,’” says 29-year-old Progni, with a mixture of wonder and pride, as he assembles a pink flamingo out of styrofoam.
Now, the movement extends far beyond the flamingos, drawing participants from across the political spectrum. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. He has governed the country since 2013 and comfortably won last year’s elections, securing a fourth consecutive term in power. The socialist leader also commands a majority in Parliament with his allies, allowing him to enact constitutional reforms without having to negotiate with the opposition. “This is the most dangerous moment for Rama and his government in the last 13 years,” says Afrim Krasniqi, director of the Institute for Political Studies in Tirana.
“We need change. There are many things that are wrong in the country,” says Klevis Nikoli, a 33-year-old protester, holding a banner that’s about 13-feet-tall: it reads “Rama, Resign.”
Shortly before 7:00 p.m., on June 11, the demonstrators slowly advanced to gather in front of the prime minister’s offices, located about half-a-mile away.
The Albanian leader has been criticized for downplaying the protests, accusing international media of stirring up “hysteria.” He has staunchly defended the megaprojects linked to the Trump family and their associates, which promise an investment of some $4 billion in the country, according to his government. “He has become their spokesperson and has shown no interest in listening to his own people,” Krasniqi notes.
The analyst argues that the Albanian president is trying to curry favor with the White House, even though the Trump administration isn’t formally involved in the project. He also wants to strengthen his government’s international standing as a reliable ally for the West. “He’s trying to tell the United States and other governments, ‘If you want something in Albania, I’m your man,’” Krasniqi adds. Rama, on the other hand, maintains that the luxury hotels are a unique opportunity and will have a trickle-down effect for the country. Albania is the poorest nation in Europe, with tourism accounting for more than a quarter of GDP.
Little is known about the projects on Sazan Island and in Zvërnec. In March of 2024, Kushner posted the first images of his plans in Albania on his Instagram account, showing a luxurious marina, enormous swimming pools, as well as spacious, futuristic-style rooms with idyllic views of the area’s turquoise waters. The publication appeared just a week after a new law came into effect in the country, relaxing restrictions to promote large-scale, five-star tourism projects and luxury resorts in protected areas, according to the approved text.
In December of that year, the Albanian government designated a firm linked to Affinity Partners – the investment fund founded by Trump’s son-in-law – as a “strategic investor” for the development on Sazan Island.
This past April, environmental organizations denounced the presence of bulldozers and the installation of fences and a construction camp in the Zvërnec Peninsula, even before an environmental impact assessment had been submitted or building permits issued. In mid-May, a video surfaced: it showed guards from a private security company subduing a local resident who opposed the project. The footage went viral, as did the outrage.
The Flamingo Revolution is a direct response to more than two years of pent-up anger, but also to what the protesters perceive as the modus operandi of their country’s political establishment: a lack of transparency, promises of progress that never seem to materialize, as well as the harsh treatment of those who hold dissenting opinions. That’s why they’re also demanding the resignation of the opposition leader, the conservative politician Sali Berisha, who was prime minister from 2005 to 2013. “Rama to prison, Berisha to prison!” the crowd roars in Tirana, accompanied by whistles, clapping and drumming. Tensions are running high, but the protests are generally peaceful.
Amid the public discontent, the Special Structure for the Fight Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), a special anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, has opened an investigation to determine if there were any irregularities surrounding the megaprojects. Furthermore, the construction work that had been reported has been halted. Rama has called for the population to remain calm. And, on June 5, he emphasized that no projects were underway. “There’s only one vision and one plan: to transform Albania into the most attractive high-end tourist destination in this part of the world,” the prime minister insisted.
“Revolution, revolution, revolution!” the protesters chanted after 10 p.m., as the crowd flooded the streets of downtown Tirana. Residents came out onto their balconies and taxi drivers honked their horns.
The country’s political climate has also forced investors to gradually break their silence. Asher Abehsera, one of Kushner’s local partners, said that he respects those who oppose the project, but asked the public for a vote of confidence and urged them not to jump to conclusions until all the details are revealed. He made these statements in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which was published on June 10.
The protests have cast doubt on the project’s future. Late last year, Kushner backtracked on his plans to build an exclusive hotel and luxury residential complex on the site of a former military barracks in Belgrade, a designated national monument. The protests in Serbia’s capital halted that investment, which included the construction of a skyscraper slated to be inaugurated as the Trump Tower. The scandal ultimately led to the trial of Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selaković for alleged irregularities in allowing construction in an area considered to be part of the country’s heritage.
Trump’s son-in-law – who founded Affinity Partners in 2021 after amassing an extensive network of contacts as the president’s advisor and right-hand man during the Republican magnate’s first term – has remained on the sidelines following the outbreak of the Flamingo Revolution in Albania. After initially expressing enthusiasm about the project, Kushner has lowered his profile and made no public statements about the protests. The White House and the Trump family, however, have repeatedly denied any suggestion of potential conflicts of interest.
Until the early 1990s, Skanderbeg Square housed colossal statues of Joseph Stalin and the dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled the country with an iron fist for more than four decades (1944-1985). Today, however, it’s the stage for those demanding change in Albania, a country of fewer than three million inhabitants, with a diaspora of over 2.2 million, according to official figures. It also hosts the struggle being waged by many young people, who are demanding a better future. They no longer want to leave their country due to a lack of opportunities. Progni, for instance, returned six months ago, after living in Germany for four years.
“The future belongs to the flamingos,” one of the banners reads. The future: that’s what many believe is truly at stake as they raise their fists in the scorching heat of Tirana, beyond the international attention sparked by the Trump family’s interest in their homeland.
“I feel proud of my generation; politicians say that we stay at home and do nothing… well, look at us now,” Kodra says with a smile.
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