Jared Kushner vs the Flamingos – Albanians protest against luxury resort plans | US News

A massive coastal resort development in Albania linked to President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has sparked days of protests.

Police have fired water cannon and clashed with demonstrators in the capital, Tirana, this week as public anger grows.

Plans for the luxury project boast hotels, apartments, villas and a marina across two sites: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on a nearby uninhabited island.

The wildlife reserve is a key stopover for migratory birds including flamingos.

Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of flamingos and the pink bird has become an unlikely symbol of resistance.

In an interview this week with American podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump said she and her husband discovered the site by accident.

“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” she said.

“We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.”

Protest groups fear the sections of Albania’s pristine coastline could be snapped up by powerful investors.

There was anger also after a video emerged that showed an activist being dragged by a private security guard while demonstrating at the site.

Albania’s national anti-corruption agency says it has opened an investigation into the project, but has not provided details.