Albanian police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who threw eggs and bottles outside parliament. The demonstrations, triggered by plans for a multi-billion-dollar resort by Jared Kushner, have been ongoing for nearly two months.
The clashes highlight growing public opposition and potential legal challenges to large-scale development projects involving foreign investors, raising concerns about corruption and environmental protection in Albania.
Albanian police deployed water cannons and tear gas on Thursday to disperse hundreds of protesters who threw eggs and bottles at officers outside parliament. The demonstrations, which have been ongoing for nearly two months, are primarily triggered by plans from Jared Kushner to construct a multi-billion-dollar resort on the Adriatic Sea coast.
Protesters, calling their movement the "flamingo revolution," are concerned about corruption and the environmental impact on a protected wetland where the resort is planned. They chanted slogans against Prime Minister Edi Rama, who strongly supports the development and has dismissed the protests as artificial.
Adding to the controversy, Reuters reported that Albanian prosecutors suspect a Miami-based businessman involved in selling land for the resort to Kushner's developers had forged title deeds. The businessman denies the accusations, and the developers maintain the land transactions are valid.
Kushner, who is an investor in the project, has not publicly commented on the protests. Earlier this year, similar unrest led to the dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku.