Thousands of people have poured into the streets across Albania to protest a major coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
The demonstrations, among the largest seen so far, come as opposition grows against plans to build luxury resorts along the country’s Adriatic coast.In the capital, Tirana, thousands gathered peacefully on Saturday evening. Earlier the same day, several hundred people also protested in Zvernik. In addition to the demonstrations, Albanian-Australian swimmer Eva Bozo swam 15 kilometers (9 miles) around the disputed island, in protest against development plans in the protected area.The government says the project will be a major boost for Albania, helping it transform into an upscale tourist destination while also supporting its goal of joining the European Union.But the scheme, which was carried out across a deserted island and coastal strip in southern Albania, sparked strong opposition from environmental groups and critics of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Break the project
The development plan includes two parts: a coastal project on Lake Narta, a wildlife reserve, and a separate resort on the uninhabited Sazan Island, a former communist-era military base.
It is linked to Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter, and includes plans to build hotels, villas, apartments and a marina.Speaking in an interview with American broadcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump said that the couple came across the site by chance.Albanian authorities granted an investment company linked to Kushner private investor status.Albania’s 450 km (280 mi) coastline remained largely undeveloped during decades of communist rule, when strict controls limited construction and tourism.
Why are Albanians protesting?
Protest groups fear that parts of this untouched coast could be handed over to powerful investors. Anger increased after video clips showed an activist being dragged by a private security guard during a protest at the site.The project is located within a nature reserve, considered one of the main biodiversity areas in Albania and an important stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic Sea Route.At protests in Tirana, demonstrators carried cardboard cutouts of pink flamingos, a protected species in the region.Since late May, heavy machinery, including excavators, has entered the site, opened access roads, dug in sandy areas, removed pine trees and erected fences.Environmental groups in Albania and across Europe have strongly criticized the action, saying long-protected habitats are being “irreversibly destroyed.”
The project has also come under scrutiny by Albania’s state anti-corruption agency, which confirmed it had opened an investigation, although details were not revealed.
The government continues to defend
The government insists the land is privately owned, but there are competing claims over its status, with disputes over ownership continuing.Prime Minister Edi Rama strongly defended the project, saying it fit Albania’s ambition to become a major center for global tourism.“Albania should not be a country that is afraid of an exceptional project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion),” Rama said.He added: “There is no chance that this investment will stop as long as I am here.”However, the controversy has drawn comparisons to a similar project in Serbia that later collapsed amid legal problems. In November, the Serbian parliament passed a special law allowing the construction of a luxury complex in Belgrade linked to the Kushner Investment Company.Shortly after, prosecutors charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office and forging documents related to the project.Kushner later withdrew from the multimillion-dollar plan, which was to replace a bombed-out military complex that had previously been protected as a heritage site until its status was changed by officials now on trial.
