New wave of protests in Albania against another luxury real estate project on the Adriatic coast, after that of Trump's son-in-law
About 200 people tore down the fences of a real estate site on the coast of Albania on Saturday. The action follows weeks of protests against the project of Donald Trump's son-in-law, according to The Guardian.
Residents of the village of Rrjoll, located in an area of sandy beaches and pine forests in northwestern Albania, have protested against a new housing project, claiming it is being built on confiscated land. They waved Albanian national flags and shouted “Revolution!”.
Protesters tore down fences and clashed with law enforcement, who did not intervene to stop the action.
“The protests will not stop until the residents of Rrjoll village are compensated. We are 200 families whose land has been confiscated,” said Zeke Nikolle Shullani, 56, one of the land owners.
An Albanian company is developing a five-star luxury tourist complex on this land, and the project has been granted “special status investor” status by the Albanian government.
“What's happening in this country is crazy,” said Nikolin Markpalaj, 60, another landowner in the area. “We asked the investors to come and talk to the people, but they refused. Do they think they can take all this wealth without bloodshed or something else happening here?”
The recent demonstrations come after thousands of people protested in the capital Tirana earlier this month against another $4 billion luxury tourism project promoted by Jared Kushner's company, Donald Trump's son-in-law. The investment envisages the transformation of Sazan Island and some wetlands in the Narta-Zvernec region near Vlora into an exclusive destination.
