Tens of thousands protest in Tirana against Trump family hotel plans

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tirana on Saturday, protesting for the 35th consecutive day against plans to build a tourist resort linked to the Trump family.

It is thought to have been the largest demonstration since the protests began in late May against the construction of a luxury hotel connected to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, who advises and negotiates on behalf of the president, in the protected area of Zvërnec, in southwestern Albania.

What started as an environmental protest has now turned into a major anti‑government revolution. Protesters accuse the government of corruption and are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who approved the Kushner-Trump project.

“What began as the ‘pink flamingo revolution’ has turned into widespread public discontent,” protester Alketa Ademi told the French news agency AFP. “The lack of transparency, the arrogance – enough! The prime minister has to go,” she added.

Many protesters carried giant pink flamingos as they marched towards the country’s parliament building on the main boulevard of the Albanian capital Tirana.

One group was carrying a large concrete cake, a double reference both to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s birthday – who turned 62 on Saturday – and to plans to pour concrete over protected ecosystems.

Protesters also set up a bust of Edi Rama and then toppled it with the help of a rope, in an action reminiscent of the iconic overthrow in 1991 of the statue of communist dictator Enver Hoxha, which marked the end of his rule.

‘Albania is not for sale’

On Saturday evening, a large group of protesters broke away from the main march and headed towards the police station where 19 detained protesters are being held after their arrest during Thursday’s march near the parliament building.

Demonstrators smashed the windows of the police precinct, and were met with a violent response from security forces who reportedly deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.

“Release the kids,” the protesters shouted.

Some carried banners reading “Albania is not for sale” and “Repeal the law on protected areas”, referring to the legislation that enabled the government to fast‑track procedures for building tourist resorts.

The violent incidents contrast with the generally peaceful nature of the gatherings that have been held since the start of the movement, drawing thousands of citizens from all over the country.

Last week, large groups of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament, trying to block lawmakers from accessing the building.

Hundreds of protesters broke through the police-installed security cordon, and officers pushed them back, sparking clashes and leading to dozens of arrests.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse those crowds as well, according to eyewitnesses, while some protesters threw eggs, stones and other objects at the security forces.

Officials later announced that 15 police officers were injured and 25 protesters were detained in those clashes.

The Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), a human rights organisation, expressed on Saturday “its concern at the escalation of the situation”.

“Individual acts of violence cannot justify the disproportionate use of force,” it said, condemning the use of tear gas without warning, batons and beatings by law enforcement officers against protesters and calling for a swift, independent investigation.

The movement has been dubbed the ‘Pink Flamingo Revolution’, a reference to the migratory birds that pass through the protected area where the tourist complex is planned.

Protesters argue that the luxury hotel complex, whose cost is estimated at $4.6 billion (€4.02 billion) and which is to be built in a protected area on the Adriatic Sea, threatens the fragile ecosystem of the neighbouring lagoon.

Investors, for their part, aim to turn the uninhabited island of Sazan, a former military base from the communist era, into a high‑end tourist destination. The project has been strongly opposed since it was first announced back in 2024.

The latest wave of protests erupted after barbed‑wire fencing and excavators appeared on nearby beaches in late May, indicating to the public that their concerns are being overlooked and that the development will proceed against their will.