Police in the Albanian capital, Tirana, clashed with protesters and blocked them from reaching parliament as the latest rally against a luxury development linked to US President Donald Trump’s family turned violent. Tuesday’s march came as parliament resumed following summer recess and one day after the demonstrations marked their 100th day. Demonstrators challenged a police cordon in the centre of the capital, pelting officers in riot gear with eggs and tomatoes. Since late May, angry Albanians have rallied against the planned construction of a vast luxury hotel in a coastal nature reserve, a project linked to Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner.
Cars transporting lawmakers to the parliament building were confronted by the crowds and hit with plastic water bottles before police intervened to let them through. Dubbed the “flamingo revolution” for protesters’ signs depicting the pink bird that could be harmed by the coastal development, the antigovernment protests have rocked Albania. Preliminary work has already caused irreparable damage to a once-pristine stretch of Albania’s coast, destroying the nesting sites of both birds and loggerhead turtles, which are threatened with extinction, scientists and activists say. Although Albanian officials have avoided giving details of Kushner’s role in the project, Ivanka Trump has spoken about her family’s involvement in the venture, describing it as an “incredible project”.
Critics say the project would also limit public access to the coast. The nightly Tirana protests initially only focused on the development, but have since grown into a major challenge to the country’s long-governing Socialist Party. Prime Minister Edi Rama, a target of the demonstrations, strongly supports the investment project, arguing that it would help modernise a country that spent decades in communist isolation. Demonstrators chanted “Arrest Rama!” during the clashes, as police escorted lawmakers to and from the parliament building.
Several protesters were detained, but it was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been made.
