Hundreds of thousands protest in Albania over land sale to Ivanka Trump-linked project

In what local media described as the largest protest in Albania’s history, approximately 250,000 people took to the streets on Saturday evening to oppose the sale of a coastal area in the Zvernec region of Vlora for a tourism project reportedly linked to Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner. Protesters called for the cancellation of the project, as well as the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government. Demonstrators also demanded that both Rama and opposition leader Salih Berisha be held accountable before the justice system.

Fears of foreign influence

Protesters expressed fears that Rama has granted Israel extensive control over Albania’s digital, cyber, banking, defense, and natural resource systems in recent years, fueling concerns that the Zvernec and Sazan regions could be transformed into an Israeli settlement or state-like entity. Demonstrators stressed that while they view the US as a friend, they do not want their country to become “a second Palestine.” Prime Minister Rama has faced mounting criticism over his close ties with Israeli officials and his government’s handling of national sovereignty.