Dua Lipa backs Albanian protests against Trump‑linked luxury resort

British pop star Dua Lipa, whose parents are Kosovo‑Albanian, publicly supported the ongoing demonstrations in Albania against a planned luxury tourism complex valued at about €1.5 billion. The project, backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, would build a hotel and thousands of villas on the protected Sazan Island and the Zvërnec peninsula, threatening the Vjosa‑Narta lagoon ecosystem.

Speaking on her Service95 Book Club podcast with Albanian writer Lea Ypi, Lipa described the movement — dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution” — as “inspiring” and warned that “the principle that the government could just change the law to remove environmental protection without any public consultation” is deeply concerning. She urged that development should “support the people”.

The protests have continued for weeks, with thousands gathering nightly in Tirana and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Environmental NGOs have praised Lipa’s remarks as a powerful message to the Albanian government. Around the same time, Lipa removed photos of her vacation in southern Albania from Instagram, a move that further drew attention to the dispute.