Albanian PM Edi Rama confronted by mass protests over Trump-linked resort

For more than six weeks, thousands of Albanians have gathered nightly in Tirana and other cities demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation. The demonstrations, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” began as an environmental protest against a $4.6 billion luxury hotel project linked to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s family and Jared Kushner, planned for the protected Zvernec lagoon, a habitat for migratory flamingos.

Protesters also objected to a concert by controversial U.S. rapper Kanye West, whose antisemitic remarks have sparked bans in several European capitals. The movement has broadened into a wider anti‑corruption rally, accusing Rama of opaque land deals that saw the value of the Zvernec site jump from €5.5 million to €122 million in months. Albania’s anti‑corruption prosecutor SPAK has opened an investigation into the transactions.

The protests have drawn international media attention, with outlets reporting on the daily turnouts, the use of plastic flamingos as symbols, and calls for a technocratic government. Demonstrations have spread from Tirana to Vlorë, Durrës, Korçë and beyond, uniting citizens, diaspora groups and some European parliamentarians in opposition to perceived elite collusion with foreign investors.