Protests in Albania over a proposed luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are set to intensify after opponents rejected an offer from the country’s prime minister “to discuss solutions”.
Thousands took to the streets of Tirana for a third straight day on Wednesday, some of them brandishing inflatable flamingos in a nod to feared environmental damage, amid mounting calls for the project to be blocked.
Protests are also planned for the south of the country, where groundwork on the $1.6bn (£1.19bn) complex recently began in an area long seen as one of the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive.
“From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency,” said Aleksandr Trajce, executive director of the country’s leading conservation group, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA). “We have seen no public consultation or public documentation regarding permits, and so now what we are saying is, if they remove the bulldozers, remove the fence and restore the habitats to what they were, then we can start talking.” » | Helena Smith in Athens | Thursday, June 4, 2026
The Kushners, just like the rest of the Trump menagerie, all have several characteristics in common: they are all corrupt; they are all ‘on-the-make; they all see dollar-signs in everything they do and undertake; and none of them can be trusted to do anything for the good of the community or wider society. Whatever they think of doing, if it doesn’t enrich them or benefit them in some way, they don’t touch the project. The project will be abandoned. It seems to me that the Albanians have got the measure of the Kushners. I should like to add the following: I would wager that there must be people at the top of Albanian society poised to enrich themselves from this. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY! — © Mark Alexander
