A luxury tourism project for the Trump family sparks protests in the Albanian capital

Thousands of Albanian demonstrators took to the streets of the capital, Tirana, late yesterday, Wednesday, to demonstrate against a luxury tourist real estate project linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and his wife, Ivanka Trump, according to the Albanian News Agency (ATA).

Protesters marched to the office of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, demanding that the government stop the construction project overlooking the Adriatic Sea near the town of Zvernik. Driven by deep environmental concerns, environmentalists fear that the planned construction of luxury hotels, villa complexes and entertainment facilities on an area of ​​45 hectares could cause permanent damage to the sensitive ecosystem in the Fjosa delta region.

The planned construction sites are located within a nature reserve around Lake Narta in the Vjusa River Delta, one of the most important wetlands in Albania.

Clashes broke out with the police on the sidelines of the march yesterday evening, and the police used water cannons to push the demonstrators away. The media did not report any arrests or injuries.

Rama said that the concerns expressed by the demonstrators were based on “misleading and false reports” that spread through social media sites, in an interview he conducted with the American network CNN and cited by Albanian media.

He categorically ruled out halting the project, as the demonstrators are demanding.

The general contractor for the huge project, whose cost is estimated at about 1.4 billion euros (other estimates indicate that it reaches about 4 billion dollars), is Affinity Partners, which is supported by Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.