Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Albanian capital Tirana in recent weeks against a proposed luxury tourism project whose investors include Ivanka Trump She and her husband Jared Kushner, according to the BBC.
A section of Albania’s pristine south coast is to be transformed into luxury hotels and villas as part of a multi-billion dollar luxury tourism project between the two parties.
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Why are people protesting?
Kushner’s investment firm has been pursuing a multibillion-dollar luxury tourism development plan along Albania’s Adriatic coastline. The proposal includes high-end hotels, villas and tourism infrastructure aimed at attracting wealthy international tourists.
Albania is increasingly marketing itself as an emerging Mediterranean tourist destination. Government officials promote major tourism projects as a way to accelerate economic growth and improve infrastructure.
Many Albanians have reached breaking point due to years of government corruption, unrestricted tourism and dissatisfaction with Albania’s economic progress.
Protesters generally believe the country is run for the wealthy few rather than the many.
Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha, the two longest-serving leaders since the fall of communism in 1991, are now being called upon by demonstrators to resign or even be jailed.
Franceska Muço, a civil society activist told us Politico”, “This is a protest against all institutions, against the institutions that followed the fall of authoritarian regimes, and against all the negative patterns that they have normalized in this country. “
She participated in protests and demonstrations in Tirana, waving flamingo banners and calling for the imprisonment of the two politicians.
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Why are protesters calling it the “Flamingo Revolution”?
Demonstrators now accuse the government of prioritizing foreign investment over undeveloped coastline, which is important wildlife habitat.
The 10,000-bed resort is expected to be located near a wildlife reserve, one of Europe’s most pristine river deltas, where flamingos and turtles can be seen.
According to reports, bottlenose dolphins, Eurasian otters, loggerhead sea turtles, Albanian water frogs and more than 12% of the country’s wintering waterbirds all call this important migration route home. The Guardian.
Flamingos adorn the beautiful blue shoals with bright pink.
The nickname “Flamingo Revolution” came about because the flamingos had become a symbol of the environmental movement opposed to the project. Images of flamingos appear on protest signs, banners and social media campaigns.
