Why Albania has been swept by protests and what Trump has to do with it

This is not just about an investment project – it is about who owns the country. That, briefly, captures the mood behind the protests that have swept across Albania.

Formally, the trigger was a large-scale luxury resort project planned for the country's southern coast and on Sazan Island. The project is managed by an investment firm linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump.

The protests began in early June, and it quickly became clear that this was not merely a local dispute over construction.

Demonstrators are demanding not only that the project be halted but also the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Later, calls emerged for criminal accountability across the political establishment, including opposition leader Sali Berisha.

Read more about Albania's political upheaval in the article by Daria Meshcheriakova, a European Pravda journalist: Flamingos against Trump: how a deal involving the US President's son-in-law shook Albania.

The pink flamingo did not become the symbol of the protests by accident.

These birds inhabit the Narta Lagoon near the delta of the Vjosa River, one of Europe's last largely untouched river systems. The planned resort complex is to be built in this area.

This environment is not simply "beautiful nature". It is an ecosystem inhabited by turtles, birds and rare species, and it has become the battleground between two competing visions of development: tourism expansion versus environmental preservation.

Protesters carry flamingo-themed signs, inflatable flamingos and pink flags. Yet the deeper message is about the country as a common public good versus the country as a commodity.

At first glance, the demonstrations may appear to focus exclusively on environmental protection. But that is not the case.

The central message can be summarised as follows: "We're not here only because of nature. We're here because of everything they have done to us and to our country since 1991".

Since the end of the communist era, Albania has experienced significant social upheaval.

The country has lost nearly a quarter of its population through emigration.

For members of Generation Z. those born in the late 1990s and early 2010s, this is not merely a statistical fact. It is a personal reality: friends who have left, empty villages and families divided by migration.

As a result, the "Flamingo Revolution" has evolved into a protest against an entire political era. Gene Z forms the core of the movement.

For more than three decades, two political figures, Edi Rama and Sali Berisha, have dominated Albanian politics.

Many protesters believe demonstrations should continue until Rama resigns.

More broadly, Gen Z activists do not trust political institutions to represent their interests. As a result, the movement has moved beyond normal electoral politics.

It is not simply "for one party" or "against the government". Rather, it is a protest against the very architecture of power.

Albania is facing several crises simultaneously: economic inequality, large-scale youth emigration and rapid tourism-driven development. For many protesters, the problem is straightforward: the country is developing, but not for them.

Particularly controversial is the perceived lack of transparency surrounding major development projects.

This includes plans to build in environmentally protected areas. Business structures connected to the Trump family are also pursuing development projects on Sazan Island.

One protester argued that no proper construction permits had been issued and that environmental activists and ordinary citizens therefore felt compelled to act.

In his view, the controversy is not only about the resort project. It concerns the entire political system, the ruling elite and the lack of transparency and accountability that directly affect everyday life.

The Albanian government may face not only domestic challenges.

Albania has officially declared its goal of joining the European Union by 2030. Consequently, Brussels is paying increasing attention to the country's environmental and institutional standards.

European diplomats have warned that a development model based on rapid investment in environmentally sensitive areas could complicate Albania's EU accession negotiations.