Tens of thousands of Albanians marched for the 21st consecutive day on Sunday, 21 June 2026, to denounce a Kushner-linked luxury resort planned for protected coastal land, as protests that began over environmental damage now threaten to topple Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government.

Demonstrators in Tirana and along the Adriatic shoreline chanted “Albania is not for sale,” targeting a project on Sazan Island that Ivanka Trump publicly promoted last month and that Jared Kushner’s development group has since confirmed . The island, a rocky outcrop in the Mediterranean, is home to rare flamingo colonies and lies within a national park, according to environmental assessments cited by local media .

The unrest has expanded far beyond ecology. Thousands now demand Rama’s resignation, reversing the landslide victory his Socialist Party won in May 2025, when it captured an absolute parliamentary majority . German broadsheet *Die Zeit* reported that protesters in Tirana on Sunday carried banners calling for the prime minister’s immediate departure, accusing his administration of selling national sovereignty to foreign investors .

Security forces have deployed water cannon and riot police in central squares, but organisers say the daily marches are growing in size and militancy. “This is no longer just about flamingos,” said environmental lawyer Drita Xhafa, speaking to *Al Jazeera* from the protest camp in Vlorë. “People see this as the last straw after years of corruption and opaque deals with offshore developers” .

Kushner Properties has not responded to repeated requests for comment, but Ivanka Trump’s promotional video for the Sazan project, released on 27 May 2026, remains visible on her verified social media channels, where she describes the island as “Europe’s next jewel” . The Albanian Ministry of Tourism did not reply to queries about permits or environmental impact assessments.

With Rama’s approval ratings plummeting and opposition leaders calling for an emergency parliamentary session, political analysts warn the protests could force early elections before the scheduled 2027 ballot. “The flamingo protests have scratched at Rama’s image,” wrote Austria’s ORF, “but they may yet erase his government” .

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Articles

Albanian protesters rally against Kushner-backed resort in protected area Demonstrators chant "Albania is not for sale," challenging coastal projects tied to Kushner amid environmental concerns.

aljazeera · about 2 hours ago

Inside Sazan: The idyllic Adriatic island eyed up by Ivanka Trump that sparked the flamingo revolution After Ivanka Trump revealed plans for a real estate project on Sazan Island, Albanians took to the streets to object to the luxury tourism development in protests that have since swelled into mass anti-government demonstrations. Annabel Grossman travels to the rocky outcrop in the Mediterranean to see the land at the heart of it all

independent · about 2 hours ago

History descends into the water: Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror is now in the depths of Saros, and İbrice Port is becoming a diving paradise In İbrice Port, located in Keşan district of Edirne, which borders the Saros Bay, the opening ceremony of the newly completed diving schools was held, and as part of the Artificial Reef Project, sculptures of Akıncılar, Fatih Sultan Mehmet and the bridge arch were submerged in the water

yenisafak · about 2 hours ago

Protests in Albania against Kushner resort swell to tens of thousands Albanians have gathered for the 21st day in a row to protest plans to build a resort on Albanias coast.

aljazeera · about 2 hours ago

Schloss Ambras in Tirol soll als Museumsstandort aufgewertet werden Für KHM-Generaldirektor Jonathan Fine ist Voraussetzung dafür ein schlüssiges Konzept für die Weiterentwicklung

der standard · about 3 hours ago

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die zeit · about 3 hours ago

„Flamingo-Proteste kratzen an Ramas Image Noch im Mai 2025 hat der albanische Premier Edi Rama mit seiner Sozialistischen Partei bei der Parlamentswahl die absolute Mehrheit erreicht. Ein Jahr später wird bei Massenprotesten sein Rücktritt gefordert. Die seit drei Wochen andauernden täglichen „Flamingo-Proteste entzündeten sich an in Naturschutzgebieten geplanten touristischen Luxusprojekten des Schwiegersohns von US-Präsident Donald Trump, Jared Kushner und seiner Frau Ivanka Trump. Doch die Wut geht weit über den Umweltaspekt hinaus.

orf.at · about 3 hours ago