Trump-linked $4.6 billion project sparks 42nd night of protests in Albania

Thousands of people took to the streets of Albania's capital Tirana for the 42nd consecutive night on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and protesting a controversial luxury tourism project linked to the family of US President Donald Trump.The demonstrations, which have grown into one of the country's largest sustained protest movements in recent years, are centred on allegations that the multi-billion-dollar development threatens a protected coastal ecosystem and reflects wider concerns over transparency and corruption in Albania.The protesters also opposed a concert by controversial American rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, whose performances have been barred in several European capitals following repeated antisemitic remarks.Marchers carrying Albanian flags chanted slogans against both Rama and the rapper as they moved through the city.Earlier in the day, Rama met West at his office before the concert and later shared videos of the packed event on social media, awarding it a five-star rating.While no official attendance figures were released, AFP journalists at the scene estimated that thousands of people have continued to join the nightly demonstrations.

At the heart of the protests is a proposed luxury tourism project valued at around $4.6 billion that is linked to the Trump family. The development is planned in Zvernec, an environmentally protected area on Albania's Adriatic coast that conservationists say is home to a fragile lagoon used by thousands of migratory birds.The proposal also includes plans to develop the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a former secret communist-era military base, into a high-end tourist destination.Opposition to the project has increasingly evolved into a broader movement against the government, with critics accusing Rama's administration of failing to ensure transparency in the approval and land acquisition process. Protesters have demanded the prime minister's resignation, arguing that the project symbolises deeper governance and accountability concerns.The campaign has become known as the Flamingo Revolution, a reference to the pink flamingos that migrate to the nature reserve where the development is planned.

Demonstrators frequently carry plastic flamingos during rallies as a symbol of their movement.Critics have also questioned the legality of land transactions linked to the project. Several local residents claim ownership of parts of the land through decades-old property deeds, raising concerns over how ownership changed before the development was announced.Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Structure, known as SPAK, has opened an investigation into the project.Investigators are examining how land inside the protected Zvernec area was acquired, how ownership changed over time and why its estimated value reportedly rose from €5.5 million to €122 million within just a few months.The investigation is expected to determine whether any irregularities occurred during the land transactions surrounding one of Albania's most controversial development projects.