Albania protests surge against Trump family luxury resort project

Since late May, massive demonstrations have erupted across Albania against a planned luxury tourism complex on Sazan Island in the protected Vjosa‑Narta lagoon. The project, backed by Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner through their firm Affinity Partners, is accused of endangering rare flamingos and other wildlife and of being secured through corrupt deals with the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Protesters, estimated at up to a quarter‑million in Tirana and other cities and supported by the diaspora abroad, have clashed with police and private security, notably after a video showed a demonstrator being assaulted. The government argues the investment would bring international capital, while Rama suggests the protests have been amplified by social‑media algorithms and possible foreign disinformation campaigns. The anti‑corruption agency SPAK has opened an investigation, and the unrest threatens the stability of Rama’s administration.