Clashes have erupted in Tirana between protesters and security forces.
People calling for the resignation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama threw stones and set fires, prompting police to use tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, Bloomberg reports.
The protests have been continuing in the capital for about two weeks. They grew out of a months-long protest movement against the construction of a luxury resort on the country’s coastline. On Saturday, 24 October, the protest became even larger as university lecturers, schoolteachers, opposition politicians and civic activists joined the students.
The main confrontations unfolded in Tirana’s central square, where demonstrators tore up paving stones from the pavements and hurled them at law enforcement officers, and also set fire to rubbish bins. As a result of the unrest, hundreds of people were injured, and government buildings and businesses were damaged. According to the tax authorities, losses at 127 businesses have already reached €2.15 million.
Ahead of the rallies, Edi Rama said the government was preparing measures to address problems with the cost of living and housing, but warned of new security measures against those who resort to violence. He also accused organised crime and external forces of exploiting the protests.
What Is Known About the Construction of an Upmarket Resort in Albania
- Kushner’s resort is planned for a stretch of wild coastline, forests and wetlands that are home to sea turtles and pink flamingos. The flamingos have become the symbol of the protest movement, which has been dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution”.
- Kushner’s wife, Ivanka Trump, previously said the idea for the resort emerged after she and her husband saw the coastline during a yacht trip.
- In 2024, Kushner presented the project on social media, publishing an artist’s rendering of the future complex with a hotel, villas, swimming pools and yacht moorings. He did not disclose the amount of his own investment.
- The Albanian government is actively backing the construction. Rama said in the summer that it was a “wonderful” project that would go ahead despite the protests.
- Earlier, Brussels had already urged Albania, as an EU candidate country, to comply with European environmental standards when implementing the project.
- In July, it emerged that Albanian prosecutors suspect Miami businessman Artur Shehu—who is wanted in his home country on suspicion of laundering proceeds from drug trafficking—of forging documents for the land where the resort is to be built.
Protests in Other Countries
- In France, mass demonstrations took place amid heightened security measures. According to police, about 110,000 people took to the streets in Paris. Rallies were also held in Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille, although in some cities protest gatherings were banned.
- In Spain’s capital, around 25,000 people joined a demonstration in defence of the state pension system. Participants marched from Atocha railway station to the Gran Vía shopping street.
- And in Moldova, police, together with officers from the Information and Security Service and prosecutors, uncovered a group of individuals suspected of preparing violent acts and mass unrest.