Contested ‘Place’ in Albania

The proposed ‘Kushner hotel’ and the Flamingo Revolution

[This post is all about Place. Three weeks ago, I wrote about the death of a famous Yorkshireman, David Hockney. This morning we celebrate the exploits of another Yorkie – Erling Haaland. (For the unknowing, he was born in Leeds.) Another footballer, Folarin Balogun, also has an interesting birthplace – Brooklyn, NY – even though his parents lived in England. Look it up - it’s an interesting story.

Under President Trump’s current wishes (but rejected by the Supreme Court), Balogun would not be awarded American citizenship. And yet, we are seeing blatant hypocrisy and open corruption surrounding Balogun in the FIFA World Cup in the USA.

Talking of corruption…. ]

Overview

Protests in Albania over a proposed luxury resort project linked to the family of President Trump have grown into a larger anti-government movement over corruption, transparency, public land, and Albania’s path toward the European Union (EU).

The protests focus around a proposed £3.5 billion high-end tourist development on Sazan Island, near the Zvërnec peninsula and along Albania’s Adriatic coast near Vlora. Sazan is Albania’s largest island and hosts an ecologically sensitive wetland known for flamingos and migratory birds. The protests, dubbed the ‘Flamingo Revolution’ by supporters, have attracted the attention of the EU. In mid-June 2026, the European Parliament urged Albania to halt construction in the protected areas and warned that unresolved environmental concerns could complicate the country’s EU accession ambitions.

Location map

The protests

Thousands of Albanians have been taking to the streets of the capital, Tirana, for over a month to oppose a luxury coastal resort project backed by Jared Kushner, the son‑in‑law of Trump, and his wife Ivanka (the President’s daughter).

Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, who has been in power since 2013, has hailed the project as transformative for the Albanian economy and tourism sector. However, residents and environmental organisations have fiercely resisted the plan, citing unresolved land ownership disputes and the threat it poses to the fragile ecosystem.

Anger exploded in late May when footage emerged of a protester being dragged across a cliff by security guards at the resort site. The protests expanded into a broad anti‑government movement. Protesters in Tirana, as well as at demonstrations organised by the diaspora across Europe, are demanding Rama’s resignation. The ire has been building for some years with beliefs of historic systemic corruption within the country. Tackling corruption and organised crime remains a key condition for Albania’s accession to the EU, for which negotiations opened in 2024.

National issues

A housing affordability crisis exists in the country. Albania’s real estate sector has seen rapid growth in recent years, facilitated by weak oversight of transactions. A 2021 UN report suggested that money laundering has become a major factor in the price increases in Tirana and coastal areas.

Tourism is a key factor of growth for Albania, with millions of people now visiting the country each year. However, an underdeveloped domestic food industry as well as poor road and rail connectivity means ordinary Albanians are unable to benefit from tourism’s success. Young people feel excluded from political processes and economic opportunities, shut out by opaque decision‑making and an entrenched elite. More than half a million Albanians have emigrated to EU countries, and the UK, in the past decade in search of jobs.

The future

Protesters are demanding both the Rama government’s resignation and deep structural reforms, starting with an overhaul of the country’s electoral system. Some call for a caretaker government tasked with making constitutional amendments and renewing the fight against organised crime and corruption. Rama has dismissed calls to step down. He has attacked protesters with slurs and suggested – in an Trumpian way, without providing evidence – that foreign malign actors are behind the movement.

Nevertheless, the protest movement poses a challenge to Rama’s authority. The sheer scale of public mobilisation has signalled a crisis and the desire among Albanians for a future without the existing elite at the helm of their country. Rama clearly hopes the movement will lose momentum, but the protests may have empowered Albanians who believe that political change is possible.