Albania's Flamingo Revolution: Protests Against Kushner-Trump Luxury Resort Could Bring Down Gov't

Plans for a luxury resort in an ecologically sensitive area have set off more than a month of protests in Albania, where thousands have taken to the streets to oppose the megaproject backed by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The Flamingo Revolution — named for its feared impact on migratory birds — began as an environmental protest but has now turned into anger at the entire political system, threatening to bring down the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama. For more, we speak with two members of the left-wing Lëvizja Bashkë party who call the planned resort a “money laundering operation” that exposes a deeper rot in the country. “The protests will go on, and the people are very determined,” says researcher and labor organizer Bora Mema. Transcript AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman. We end today’s show with the latest from Albania, where thousands have taken to the streets in the capital Tirana for over a month in the biggest unrest since the collapse of communism 30 years ago. The so-called Flamingo Revolution began last month over environmental and transparency concerns related to the development of a multibillion-dollar luxury resort linked to President Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. The massive development would turn an abandoned Soviet weapons base, known as Sazan, into a luxury island resort and threaten one of the last wild areas and its lagoon, that hosts more than 2,500 species. What began as an environmental protest has turned to anger at the entire political system. Over the July Fourth weekend, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Albania’s capital, Tirana. ADELA HALO: It’s been too long with this kind of political culture, well, where the prime minister and the political parties of this country think they can do anything. There are no barriers to what they think is acceptable in politics. I’m here because I want an end to this Machiavellian political culture where power and greed justify anything. AMY GOODMAN: As calls mount for the resignation of the Albanian prime minister, who won a fourth term last year, he’s refused to budge on the Kushner-Trump-linked development. This is Prime Minister Rama speaking to Reuters last month, defending the luxury resort project. PRIME MINISTER EDI RAMA: It has never been a question if this will go ahead or not. This is a bless for the country. An investment of 4 billion euro, in a country that has a 27 and a bit more billion euro GDP, speaks by itself. AMY GOODMAN: For more on what’s unfolding in Albania, we go to the capital Tirana. We’re joined by two guests. Redi Muçi is a member of the Albanian Parliament representing Tirana, member of the left-wing political party Lëvizja Bashkë and its sole representative in the Albanian Parliament. And we’re joined by Bora Mema, a longtime labor organizer, researcher and activist, also a founding member of the left-wing political party Lëvizja Bashkë. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Redi Muçi, if you can talk about these massive protests, why they’re called the Flamingo Revolution, and what this island is all about, and what Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s interest is here? REDI MUÇI: Thank you, Amy. So, the reason why it’s called the Flamingo Revolution, it relates to the fact that a part of the project for the development of the resort is the lagoon, where many flamingos visit every year, and which had to be removed from an area that is environmentally protected with a special law in 2024 in order for the project to carry on. Today is actually the 40th continued day of protests in Tirana. And what started as a wish, let’s say, by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to, let’s say, invest in the island of Sazan, as well as the lagoon, precipitated into a protest that has the potential — potential, we feel — to bring down the government, and not just the the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama, but the whole system that has been built for the past 35 years in Albania. AMY GOODMAN: And explain who Prime Minister Rama is. REDI MUÇI: So, the story involves, let’s say, money laundering from drug traffickers, the stripping away of property rights of local residents, as well as environmental destruction, because the resort in this lagoon, Zvërnec, is a typical case of touristic megaresorts along the Albanian coastline, as well as skyscrapers in the city center, designed by famous international architects, but allegedly used for money laundering by drug traffickers. Prime Minister Edi Rama is at the same time head of this national council on territory planning, which means that he’s the one that signs all these construction permits. And this special anti-corruption unit that we have recently in Albania has issued 20 arrest warrants for people related to drug trafficking, who have acquired more than 1 million square meters of construction permits by Edi Rama, at the same time as what I would call a process of accumulation of wealth by disappropriation of local residents who are stripped by their property claims, either by falsifying documents, such as the case of Zvërnec, in which the person who claims to be the rightful owner is actually under investigation for drug trafficking, and living in the United States, or through this special law on strategic investors, as it’s called, through which the government can strip away the property rights for the benefit of the country, all the while destroying the environment. As I mentioned earlier, that is why there were these amendments made in 2024 to remove this lagoon area from the environmentally protected areas of Albania in order to pave the way, let’s say, for this construction project. AMY GOODMAN: Before we end, I want to bring in Bora Mema, longtime labor organizer, researcher and activist. If you can talk about the violence that the protesters have been left with, and the fact that the prime minister, Edi Rama, says that this project, the Trump-Kushner project, is going to happen? BORA MEMA: Hello. So, as it was mentioned before, this is a project that is being influenced not just by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, but also it’s a money laundering operation, international money laundering operation. And, of course, the prime minister, Edi Rama, will say this, not just because he wants to still be in power and to hold his position, but also due to the fact that many foreign, and not only, interests are engaged in this, are engaged and involved in this process. When it comes to the violence of the process — the protests, it was not only in the first day, when the community protesters and different activists were protesting in the fences that were enclosed in the area of Zvërnec, which is a protected area, but also a part of it belongs to the community, where one of the — when one of the community members was dragged down by private security, and a gun was held in his hand, and the police was not intervening, which shows where the state police loyalty lies, and it’s not with the Albanian people, and it’s not with the law, but it’s with the ones who actually are dispossessing us from our private, our public lands and our environment and the islands or natural protected areas. There was also a protest held just last week at the Parliament of Albania, where some protesters were throwing eggs at the MPs’ cars, because the MPs of the both main political parties, such as the Socialist Party or the Democratic Party, they are both pro — supporting Trump’s and Kushner’s project in Albania. So, after this, the police used this as an excuse to attack and to violently intervene and arrest. And not only this, but there were cases of protesters being arrested and beaten up in the police stations, which is a breach of human rights. There are many institutions, international organizations, but also our MP or other activists who are trying to engage with this. I believe that Edi Rama is going to say this, due to the fact that he’s actually in his worst political position he has ever been in the last three decades that he’s actually in power in Albania in different positions. I believe that the protests will go on, and the people are very determined. So, whatever he’s saying, if not tomorrow, but quite soon, this is going to be the end of Edi Rama’s political career, but of a whole political system, which is actually serving to the oligarchy. If I can just add something that — AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have to leave it there, because the show is ending. BORA MEMA: OK. OK. AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you both for being with us, Bora Mema, longtime labor organizer and founding member of the Lëvizja Bashkë party, and Redi Muçi, member of the Albanian Parliament representing Tirana. That does it for our show. I’ll be in Kansas City on July 17th and 18th for the screening of Steal This Story, Please! at the Glenwood Arts Theater in Overland Park. Check our website at democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us. Media Options