Albania protests over the Kushner project have surged in recent days, as opposition mounts against plans by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, to build luxury developments on an ecologically fragile stretch of the country’s Adriatic coast. What began as an environmental concern has swelled into a broader outpouring of public frustration with the government.

A Movement Gaining Momentum

Demonstrations have spread across the capital, Tirana, and several coastal towns, transforming the resort plans into a lightning rod for discontent in one of Europe’s poorest nations. Another protest was scheduled for Tuesday night in the capital, signaling that the unrest shows no sign of fading.

For years, the proposals have stirred unease. They include a $1.4 billion luxury hotel complex on an island off the coast and a second development on a peninsula that contains sensitive wetlands. Throughout, critics have raised persistent questions about conservation and transparency.

The Government’s Vision

Prime Minister Edi Rama has consistently championed the projects, casting them as a powerful opportunity to expand Albania’s booming tourism economy and draw in foreign investors.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Rama described the developments as part of an ambition to build the most attractive destination on this side of the Mediterranean.

He has also firmly rejected accusations from opponents that Kushner, one of several investors in the venture, received favorable treatment as a way of currying favor with his father-in-law, President Trump.

Who Is Behind the Project

The chain of responsibility behind the development runs through several entities. When approached, the White House directed questions to Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, which has been funded largely by the Saudi Arabian government. Affinity Partners, in turn, pointed to Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, the developer overseeing both Albanian projects.

Asher Abehsera, chairman of Sazan, struck an optimistic tone, expressing enthusiasm about creating a world-class destination and making one of the largest private investments in the region’s history. He emphasized that the project’s priorities include responsible environmental stewardship.

A Broad and Unusual Coalition

Not everyone in Albania shares that optimism. Taulant Bino, head of the Albanian Ornithological Society and a vocal opponent of the plan, said he was encouraged that resistance had expanded well beyond environmental campaigners.

He described the movement as remarkably diverse, drawing in people from the left and the right, as well as those of different religious backgrounds. That breadth, he suggested, reflects deeper anxieties than conservation alone.

Concerns Over Transparency

A central grievance is the absence of a publicly released environmental impact report, which is typically required for a development of this scale.

Since late April, demonstrators have been gathering at one of the planned sites on the Zvernec Peninsula, a 1,000-acre coastal area that shelters a rich array of birds, including flamingos and pelicans.

According to Bino, the protests began after environmentalists spotted what appeared to be the early stages of construction, including the tracks of heavy equipment and bulldozers dismantling sand dunes.

Tensions Boil Over

The situation has grown increasingly tense. Bino said the protests intensified in recent days after fencing topped with barbed wire was erected in the area, along with at least one access road.

By Saturday, verified video showed the disputes turning physical. Footage captured men shouting across the barbed wire fences, while another clip showed two men dragging a third across the sand by his arms as people flung what looked like dirt at one another.

More Than an Environmental Fight

For many protesters, the Albania protests over the Kushner project represent something far larger than a single development. Bino and others view the dispute as a symbol of what they fear could be democratic backsliding in a country that only emerged from decades of Communist rule in 1991.

The issue, he stressed, extends beyond environmental law to transparency in general. At its core, he argued, the movement is about democracy. While the protests center on protected areas, he framed them as ultimately a defense of democratic principles.

A History of Overridden Concerns

Local frustrations are not new. For years, residents have questioned the ownership chain of the land, yet the deals have pushed forward regardless of those objections.

In December 2024, after months of public anxiety, Albania granted preliminary approval to Kushner’s plan to build on the uninhabited island of Sazan, a site that once served as a secretive military base for submarines.

The scale of the ambitions is striking. If the plans come to fruition, the Zvernec site alone would include 6,000 hotel rooms and villas.

Fears of a Precedent

Perhaps the deepest worry among Albanian environmentalists is what might come next. Bino warned that the projects could set a precedent for similar developments in other ecologically sensitive areas.

He described the Zvernec site as becoming a kind of catalyst, suggesting that other projects are simply waiting in the wings for their own approval.

What Lies Ahead

The growing unrest leaves Albania at a crossroads, caught between the promise of economic transformation and mounting concerns over environmental protection and democratic accountability.

The key tensions now driving the protests include:

• The lack of a public environmental impact assessment for a major coastal project
• Suspicions that political connections influenced the deal
• Fears that approval could open the door to further development in protected areas
• A broader sense that transparency and democratic norms are being eroded

As demonstrations continue to draw Albanians from across the political and social spectrum, the dispute over the Adriatic coast has become a defining test of how the country balances ambition, accountability, and the protection of both its environment and its democracy.