flamingo protest – Albanians have turned a pink bird into a protest banner as thousands rally against Jared Kushner’s plan to pave and develop the Sazan protected area into a luxury “eco-resort.” Conservation groups and local experts warn the project could endanger flamingos and
For a week, the streets in Albania have looked like a parade from an absurdist cartoon: cardboard flamingos bobbing above the crowd, inflatable ones flashing pink as protesters surge and clash with police.
They aren’t doing it for the jokes. The flamingo has become a living argument against a billionaire-backed development plan tied to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and his investment firm, Affinity Partners.
Albanians are protesting Kushner’s plan to pave a protected nature reserve and turn it into a luxury resort—an effort protesters say could put pink birds in jeopardy. Albania’s prime minister. Edi Rama. told Reuters Monday that he plans to continue backing the project. even as the rallies swell across the country.
The plan traces back to 2021, when the Kushners first encountered the island of Sazan, a former military base off Albania’s coast. Ivanka Trump saw Sazan during a yacht trip and reportedly became convinced she would be able to “help realize its potential.”
Now, Affinity Partners is spending $1.6 billion to construct an “eco-resort” on Sazan and the nearby Vjosa-Narta lagoon. Environmentalists aren’t convinced the word “eco” matches the reality on the ground.
Ornithologist Ledi Selgjekaj told Reuters that more than 1 percent of the global population of flamingos is in Albania. Standing in the middle of a debate about development and wildlife, she framed the question as one of where investment should go—not whether money should exist at all.
“Of course, it’s very important to have investments in the country. It’s very important for the economy, but you have to choose very wisely where to build it. There is a reason why this area is called a protected area,” she said.
BirdLife International, a global bird conservation NGO, has also come out against the project. In a statement. Anouk Puymartin said. “A protected landscape of global importance is under attack. and people are demanding an end to the devastation. ” adding that “Nature belongs to everyone. not a handful of investors.”.
The flamingos—simple, unmistakable, and already rooted in Albanian waters—are now front and center in that fight. The protests keep returning to the same stark collision: thousands of people demanding a halt, and a prime minister signaling the project will keep moving forward.
Albania protests Jared Kushner Affinity Partners Sazan island Vjosa-Narta lagoon Edi Rama flamingos BirdLife International eco-resort nature reserve