Albania protests swell as opposition to Kushner resort persists

Thousands take to the streets of Albania’s capital Tirana in the largest demonstration yet against the development of a luxury resort planned by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The project, expected to cost around 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion), has provoked outrage in the Balkan country because of its location near a protected wetland home to flamingoes, seals and sea turtle nesting sites, but also for a perceived lack of transparency surrounding the plans designed by foreign investors.

Protesters hold signs that say “Albania is not for sale” and chant “New Albania” outside Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office as the crowd stretches half a mile down one of the city’s main boulevards.

Rama told Reuters in an interview this week that the project would go ahead and would be completed responsibly.

He also says he has made strides to reduce graft, including through the creation of a special prosecution office, known as SPAK, which has opened a series of high-profile investigations in recent years.

The resort development is the brainchild of Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who described falling in love with Albania a few years ago while visiting on a yacht.

Protests erupted at the development site near the village of Zvernec when developers erected a fence around some of the land last month. The fence has since been taken down.