Topline
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama slammed protesters in the country for having a “fascist mentality” over the weekend, as the leader doubled down in his defense of Jared Kushner’s plans for luxury resorts on the country’s coasts in the wake of growing environmental protests.
Key Facts
Protests in Albania have been going on for more than two weeks as Albanians rally against Kushner’s planned resort development in Albania’s Sazan Island and on the Albanian coast, which has raised environmental concerns about the construction taking place on protected land and how it will impact wildlife.
The protests—dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution”—have also more broadly targeted Rama’s leadership, and the prime minister has long defended the Kushner development project against the protests, claiming the construction does not pose an environmental risk as the protesters claim.
Rama doubled down on his defense on his podcast over the weekend, arguing that while there are “many” protesters “with good intentions,” there are some who have a “fascist mentality,” as translated by Euronews.
He described that “mentality” as being one “that says: ‘Albania belongs to Albanians,’ meaning that everyone else is not welcome” and likened it to Nazi Germany, saying it was “just as Germany was once said to belong to Germans and later became Europe’s black sheep for many years.”
The PM also posted a lengthy defense of the two Kushner developments on social media, arguing the government is handling ongoing negotiations in a “dignified and professional” way and that officials are not putting Albania up “for sale” as protesters claim, because the projects are either taking place on government-owned land or are entirely controlled by private parties.
Rama decried news and social media reports that allegedly “malign Albania” and the “vile spectacle of gossip, fabrications, accusations, and denigrations” against the project, writing, “ANYONE WHO TRIES TO DRAG ALBANIA BACK DOWN WILL NEVER SUCCEED AGAIN.”
Crucial Quote
“A fascist mentality is when you say: ‘I want to speak, I want to express my views, I want to protest, I want to stay on the boulevard,’ but at the same time refuse to accept that others may hold different opinions or positions,” Rama said on his podcast, as translated by Euronews, describing it as “undoubtedly a very dangerous component of the protest.”
Big Number
100,000 to 200,000. That’s how many protesters rallied in Albania on Saturday, according to Politico, which described the weekend event as the largest “Flamingo Revolution” protest that’s taken place so far.
Tangent
In addition to the ongoing protests, Rama’s defense of the construction also comes as the resort developments threaten Albania’s bid to join the European Union. European officials last week said they had warned Albania that changes to the country’s environmental laws, which helped enable the Kushner construction, could fail to meet benchmarks that are necessary for any country wanting to join the EU. “Albania should refrain from action that could undermine the fulfillment of the closing benchmark, and we expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay,” European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told reporters last week, referring to the benchmark Albania has to reach to meet the EU’s environmental standards and complete negotiations.
How Is Rama Defending The Kushner Developments?
Rama has argued Sazan Island is and will remain state property, but the state would participate in any investment and receive shares of any development. “Not a single square meter of Albania has been put up for sale,” Rama wrote. Speaking about the coastal project in Zvërnec, Albania, Rama argued the land involved is all private property, and “the purchase and sale of the property in Zvërnec has nothing whatsoever to do with the government.” Plans for development in Zvërnec were presented to Albania’s National Territorial Council in 2024, at which point Rama says the board required the developers to make “substantial revisions,” including to comply with EU standards. The board then approved an updated plan in 2026, paving the way for development, but construction can’t begin until a more detailed plan is submitted and an environmental assessment takes place. That assessment will be even more in-depth than usual, Rama claimed. The PM also slammed claims that the area’s environmental protections were removed for the development, calling it “one of the greatest falsehoods inflated beyond all imagination,” and decried reports suggesting the construction would impact the Vjosa Delta, a key protected area in Albania for biodiversity. Rama said those who have criticized Albania over the project as if the government was “synonymous with a Banana Republic without a state, without institutions, without a flag, and without dignity, would do well not to forget these facts next time they are tempted to mistreat our country.” He also suggested reports against Albania were motivated by “anti-Trump hostility spilling across borders.”
Key Background
Kushner is handling his planned developments in Albania, estimated at more than $5 billion combined, through his private equity fund Affinity Partners, and the resorts mark only one part of Kushner’s broader effort to launch international development projects during his father-in-law President Donald Trump’s second term. Kushner and wife Ivanka Trump have gushed about the uninhabited Sazan Island and their intention to turn it into a “very high-end luxury project” after first stopping on the island while they were traveling aboard a private yacht. The couple has attracted criticism for their plans for Albania—which Ivanka Trump described on a podcast as being a “tangible manifestation” of her experiences and “how I want to live.” Beyond its environmental concerns, the Albania project has also raised controversy for its timing with Trump’s second term. The Albanian government gave the island development preliminary approval to move forward in December 2024, only weeks after Trump’s reelection, raising concerns about the Albanian government using the project as a way to curry favor with the White House, which Albanian officials have denied. Protests against the development first began in the spring as signs of construction first began to appear in the Zvërnec area, but have ramped up in recent weeks after social media showed protesters being dragged away by private security guards—who have since been punished by the Albanian government—and as Rama has refused to back down from the development.
Further Reading
Albania’s Protests Against Jared And Ivanka’s Resort Plans Are Getting Bigger (Forbes)
Why Jared And Ivanka’s Island Project Could Ruin Albania’s Bid To Join EU (Forbes)
Why Jared Kushner And Ivanka Trump’s Albanian Resort Plans Are Under Fire (Forbes)
