Albania Flamingo Revolution: Flotilla arrives to protest Trump-linked tourism projects

Three vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla have arrived in Albania to support the ‘Flamingo Revolution,’ a series of popular protests against large-scale tourism developments. The activists, including members of the Albanian diaspora and international environmentalists, sailed from Brindisi, Italy, to the port of Vlora and the island of Sazan.

The protests target a luxury tourism project on Sazan Island and the adjacent Zvërnec coast, valued between 1.4 and 5 billion euros. The development is linked to Affinity Partners, an investment fund associated with Jared Kushner. Protesters argue the project threatens protected ecosystems, specifically the Narta lagoon, which serves as a vital nesting site for pink flamingos.

The movement has grown from environmental concerns into a broader political mobilization in Tirana, questioning government corruption and the impact of foreign capital on national sovereignty. The flotilla's arrival symbolically mirrors the 1991 voyage of the ship Vlora, which carried thousands of Albanians fleeing the communist regime to Italy.