After 76 days of peaceful protest against the government and development projects linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the Flamingo Revolution movement awaits the arrival of hundreds of diaspora members on August 14, 15, and 16, who will join the evening rallies in Tirana at the Boulevard of the Martyrs of the Nation.
Diaspora coordinators from dozens of international cities have organized hundreds of people to arrive from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, and other countries.
“We support the development of the country, but development must be carried out in the right way, in the interests of citizens rather than those of a small handful of people. Above all, we oppose tailor-made laws and projects that destroy our cultural and natural heritage.
Protected areas must remain untouched. We demand the repeal of Law No. 21/2024, and we will not accept any project that causes destruction in the name of development. We call on Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to step away from the Zvërnec & Sazan projects.
In addition, we demand the removal of this political class, which we no longer trust, and the democratization of the country ”
Paola Kolaj, Diaspora Member & Coordinator, Paris, France
The Flamingo Revolution, as it has been dubbed by local activists, was initially triggered by the proposed luxury resort projects of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Ivanka Trump, on protected nature reserves in Albania. A barbed wire fence was erected in Zvërnec in the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, restricting local access to one of the most treasured natural coastlines and one of the Mediterranean’s last untouched coastal ecosystems.
In 2024, the government, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama from the center-left Socialist Party, passed Law 21/2024, which allows the National Territory Council to award permits for luxury tourist resorts anywhere in the country, even in protected landscapes. Three days after the law was approved, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner went public with his plans to create luxury developments in the Zvërnec area and on Sazan Island, a protected marine area off Albania’s coast.
“Since the amendment to the Law on Protected Areas, now known as Law No. 21/2024, protected areas in Albania have become subject to large-scale tourism projects such as five-star hotels and luxury resorts.
The proposed resort development in Zvërnec is particularly concerning. Located in an area of exceptional ecological and landscape value within the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape, the infamous Kushner-Rama-Al-Khayyat project illustrates how the development of a single large-scale tourism facility can trigger a much broader transformation of a protected area and put important habitats for many species at risk of being annihilated.”
Denisa Kasa, Project Manager at Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania
While triggered by the Kushner-Trump projects, the peaceful movement, now in the third month of nightly protests, has become much larger: the immediate political goal now is the resignation of the entire government; after that, protesters are demanding a year-long technical government that will prepare the country for new elections, along with a nullification of Law 21/2024 and other critical legislation related to foreign investment and the electoral code.
The considerably large Albanian diaspora has organized protests in several cities throughout Europe and America this summer; on June 20, hundreds flew in and drove to Tirana in support, leading to the largest rally since the movement began. Organizers estimate over 100,000 protesters joined. In a country as small as Albania, with 2.33 million residents, 100,000 protesters are the equivalent to 12.7 million in America – and the nightly protests have continued since then.
This movement has united people across the political spectrum, with youth, environmental activists, pensioners, young families, and influencers all uniting to build momentum and put pressure on the prime minister to resign. The peaceful rallies at the Boulevard of Martyrs are family-friendly, featuring a dedicated children’s drawing area set up by local artists and volunteers, and a “people’s podium” open to common citizens who want to speak and voice their discontent with the government. Following the rallies, protesters march through the streets of Tirana, with many residents waving them on from balconies, taxi drivers honking their car horns, and tourists looking on from cafes (sometimes joining in).
The movement is grassroots and decentralized, with no clear leaders, only protest “coordinators”. It is a revolt against the status quo and the political establishment that has ruled the country for the past 36 years; a protest against corruption, and against oligarchy.
Protests are expected to continue nightly into the fall, until the resignation of the government.
CONTACT INFO
Paola Kolaj – Activist, Diaspora Coordinator, Paris kolajpaola@gmail.com
+33 7 80 06 0284
Denisa Kasa – Project Manager, PPNEA d.kasa@ppnea.org +355 69 403 7715
Mei Seva – Photographer, Activist, Diaspora Member studio@meiseva.com
+1 917 301 9217
