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The proposed $1.4 billion luxury resort linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner has become the unlikely spark that lit the powder keg of political crisis in Albania.
What began as the Flamingo Revolution — a protest group organizing against alleged government corruption — has drawn hundreds of thousands of protesters and has since broadened into a larger backlash against Prime Minister Edi Rama. And months of protests have finally led to violent clashes with police, delaying the country’s accession timeline.
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More recently, demonstrations have spread beyond the capital, Tirana, with protesters vandalizing government buildings, as well as setting them on fire in violent clashes in Durrës, Shkodër, Lezhë, Vlora, Gjirokastër and Korçë. Anti-riot police have responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, according to both NPR and the BBC. There have been no fatalities, but estimates put the number of injured at just over 200. Those numbers include officers, protesters and media.
The move to more violent clashes marks a new phase in Albania’s crisis. Protesters have been demanding the resignation of Rama since May, but the most recent demonstrations reflect anger over the cost of living and education.
“The demonstrations are huge because people are tired of this injustice,” protester Lizander Saraci told The Guardian back in June. “They’re tired of all the corruption. One of our slogans is ‘Stop the dictatorship of dirty money’ because we’ve learned from experience that similar projects only ever benefit a wealthy few.”
But Rama, for his part, has told A2CNN he will not resign until he is voted out. “I am and will remain in my position until the last day with the ordinary people of Albania,” he said.
Origins of the project
The controversy started as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner moved forward with a years-long plan to build a luxury resort on Sazan Island.
Speaking with podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s eldest daughter, described how she first “found” Sazan Island while vacationing on a friend’s boat.
The group swam to Sazan and hiked barefoot across the island. She said she was so “captivated” by the experience that it remained top of mind ever since.