Protesters gather in front of the Albanian Prime Minister’s office during a demonstration against the development of a luxury resort near a nature reserve in Tirana, June 20, 2026.
Adnan Besi | AFP | Getty Images
Thousands of people protested in Albania’s capital over the weekend in the largest rally ever against a luxury development project linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Protesters in Tirana were seen marching towards Prime Minister Edir Rama’s office on Saturday carrying Albanian flags and banners reading “Albania is not for sale”, and reportedly called for his resignation and chanted chants against the Socialist government.
Further protests broke out in the western city of Vlore on Sunday, continuing for the 22nd day in a row.
The main focus of the demonstration is a proposed Kushner-linked tourism project on Albania’s Adriatic coast. The protests then merged with broader public anger over opaque real estate deals and allegations of government corruption.
This aerial photo shows protesters gathering in front of the Albanian Prime Minister’s office during a demonstration against the development of a luxury resort near a nature reserve in Tirana, June 20, 2026.
Adnan Besi | AFP | Getty Images
The protests became known as the “Flamingo Revolution” due to the alleged threat to wildlife and delicate ecosystems, including flamingo populations, from development projects on the country’s southern coast.
Albania’s prime minister, who has championed multi-billion euro developments, has rejected calls to resign.
Rama reportedly said that Kushner’s involvement, rather than environmental concerns about the project itself, seemed to be fueling the protests.
Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, referred CNBC to a PR firm for comment. The agency said Southern Real Estate Development LLC is the entity developing the project and Affinity Partners is not involved. It added that its U.S. partners were involved in a personal capacity.
“Our goal is simple: celebrate Albania’s natural beauty, create jobs and build something that future generations can be proud of,” Asher Avecera, chairman of Southern Real Estate Development LLC, said in a statement.
“The future of the country will ultimately be decided by Albania and the Albanian people,” Abecera said.
An Albanian government spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct that Sazan Real Estate Development LLC is an entity developing real estate developments on Albania’s Adriatic coast.
