Violent protests erupt in Albania over luxury resort linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner
The project aims to invest in high-end tourism in Albania, but it has been challenged by environmentalists who are concerned about local wildlife
Protesters in Albania have clashed with police during an anti-government demonstration linked to a luxury resort tied to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump.
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Tear gas, pepper spray and water cannon were fired at protestors outside parliament in the country’s capital, Tirana, on Thursday, after some threw rocks, eggs and plastic bottles.
According to authorities, 12 police officers were injured, and 18 protestors were detained.
This comes after a surge in daily protests, known as the “flamingo revolution”, which started over a month ago, following plans for a luxury development on Narta Lagoon on Albania’s Adriatic coast.
The project has been backed by Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose firm has begun groundwork on the new resort.
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Protesters of the Zvernec Tourism Project have said the development could threaten habitats occupied by protected birds, including flamingos.
These demonstrations have since broadened into wider unrest about the country’s prime minister, Edi Rama, and his socialist administration.
Thousands of campaigners have hit the streets over recent weeks, blowing whistles and holding cardboard cut-outs of flamingos.
Several hundred protestors met outside the Albanian parliament on Thursday, calling for Mr Rama to resign and chanting “Rama has to go to jail”.
Some protestors used a metal barrier to break the windows of a police vehicle before officers moved in to disperse the crowd.
The Albanian government has claimed that the resort would be transformational for the previously communist country, as it moves to improve luxury tourism in the country and seeks membership in the European Union.
But this particular development, which would cover an abandoned island and part of a nearby coastline, has been met with backlash from environmentalists and critics of the prime minister.
"Police officers are public servants, citizens of the Republic, and family members just like everyone else.
Besfort Lamallari, the Albanian Interior Minister, slammed the “acts of vandalism and criminal violence" against the police.
"They serve the law, public order, and the safety of every citizen, without distinction. An attack against them is an attack against the state," he added.
