As thousands of protesters in Albania continue to march against a luxury development project that is tied to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the pink flamingo has emerged as the movement’s symbols.
For 10 consecutive days, people of all ages have been marching in the capital city of Tirana in opposition of the $1.6 billion resort, villas and marina that is planned for Sezan Island, which has some financial backing from Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners. Some have been carrying pink flamingo-shaped signs and inflatables to highlight how the birds are among the endangered species that are being impacted by the construction for the property. The backlash has increased in recent days, and it has broadened to more of an anti-government outcry and allegations of outside interference from Iran, which a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied Monday.
Despite the nightly protests, Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama, who approved the build-out on what is one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean, said it could be completed by the end of the decade, in an interview with Reuters Monday. Rami said, “I’m telling you. We’re going to be a beautiful project and we’re going to do it and we’re going to be proud to contribute to Europe.”
