Albanians Protest Against Jared Kushner's Luxury Island Resort Plan

Protests across Albania entered their ninth straight day on Monday as demonstrators have expressed opposition to a luxury island resort planned by Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and their private equity firm Affinity Partners.

The Island: Affinity announced plans to build the resort in 2024 and invested $1.4 billion into the 111-acre Sazan Island, which sits just off the country's southern coast near Vlorë. Politico (Lean Left bias) prominently emphasized that land included in the plans was "once protected until controversial changes to the law in 2024." Breitbart (Right) highlighted that the island was "not exactly pristine before the resort was announced" and "served as a Soviet military base and chemical weapons depot during the Cold War." It added that it is "festooned with more skull-and-crossbones signs than Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ride and, unlike that attraction, there are landmines buried beneath." Both noted that the protests have been dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution" because of the area's flamingo population. Euronews (Center) described Albania's coastline as "pristine."

For Context: Albania is not a member of the European Union, though it has sought to join since 2009, the same year it joined NATO. It is a Muslim-majority country, with just under half of the population identifying as Muslim. Tourism has surged in Albania over the past decade, growing from over 3 million visitors in 2014 to over 12 million in 2025.

Political Context: For the past century, Albania has been a staunchly pro-American country since its transition away from communism in 1991. Its socialist prime minister, Edi Rama, has ruled the country since 2013. An opinion by Matt Broomfield published in the socialist publication Jacobin (Left) described Rama as "one of the most toadyish allies to Donald Trump and Israel." Broomfield highlighted that Albania is preparing to send troops into the Gaza Strip as part of President Trump's Gaza Board of Peace ambitions and is one of only four states considering doing so. Broomfield also shared his personal experience in the region, said the flamingo population is rare, and that in 2023, the nearby delta "became Europe's first Wild River National Park in a bid to protect [it]." The Albanian government changed its protection laws in 2024, making parts of the island and the nearby coast suitable for development. Albanian authorities have opened an anti-corruption investigation into the matter.

Israel Bias: The pro-Arab Middle East Eye (Left) emphasized environmental concerns regarding the project and said a Serbian government minister was "arrested for abuse of office in connection with the project." Politico highlighted in a headline that Iran denied claims from Albania's PM Rama that it was involved in the protests. An opinion in ZeroHedge (Lean Right) described the project as a "scheme" to "expand Israel's sphere of influence."

Other Bias: Kremlin-funded RT (Lean Right) included a perspective from a Serbian political analyst who, in RT's words, said the opposition "goes beyond environmental concerns and reflects wider political tensions in Albania." Fox News (Right) described the protests as "violent" in its headline. Several publications, including EUObserver (Lean Left) and DW News (Center), highlighted in headlines that the European Union has expressed concern to Albania about the prospective development of the island.

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