Albanian protesters rally nightly against Kushner-linked coastal development threatening flamingo habitat

The development at the center of Albania's protests has two components: a small resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan and a larger coastal project in the Narta Lagoon area, a protected wildlife reserve home to flamingos and other wetland species. Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed Jared Kushner's involvement in the project, though the precise nature of his investment role has not been disclosed. Ivanka Trump described on a podcast last month that she and Kushner discovered the site while stopping for a swim from a friend's boat.

Fatma Paja, 28, is an artist and one of the movement's most visible organizers. Her studio created the flamingo cutouts that have become the protest's signature image, and she also runs drawing activities for children at the nightly rallies so parents can participate. "I am against a pro-elitist project that is blocking a fully protected area and destroying it," Paja told the Associated Press. "It is a project that has no legal basis and has not been supported by any study on the damage it would cause to the environment and nature." She leads chants through a loudspeaker, including "Albania is not for sale!" and "Don't touch Narta!"

Arben Kola, 46, a tour guide of more than a decade who regularly brings visitors to the Narta area, said he joined the protest early on after observing excavators and heavy machinery already clearing land inside the nature reserve. "Albania is facing a high level of corruption, with the privatization and giveaway of land, beaches, valleys and rivers," he said. He now organizes crowds with a loudspeaker and described the demonstrations' growth as surpassing his expectations: "We didn't believe the protest would reach this size."