Protests against luxury building by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner

Luxury resort in a nature reserve

Trump project meets with resistance in Albania

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is planning a luxury resort in Albania. But there is dissatisfaction. Not the only resistance to investments by the presidential family.

A plan by the family of US President Donald Trump is met with criticism in Albania. In the Albanian capital Tirana, a large crowd protested against a real estate project on the Adriatic coast backed by a company owned by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The demonstrators marched in front of the office of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and demanded a halt to the construction project in an important nature reserve. The criticism: The construction of the facility threatens rare turtles and flamingos. The police used water cannons against the demonstrators. There are also said to have been clashes.

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Kushner is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump. She recently explained in a podcast how she and her husband came to the remote location for the luxury resort: “We were on a friend’s boat and stopped to swim. That’s how we found the place,” said Ivanka Trump. And further: “We swam over to the island. We went on a hike – barefoot to the very top – and were simply fascinated.”

Villas, luxury apartments and a marina near the town of Zvernec and the coastal town of Vlora are planned, as well as a smaller resort on the offshore, uninhabited island of Sazan, a former military base from before the fall of the Wall.

The problem of the investment: The building areas belong to the nature reserve around the Narta lagoon in the delta of the Vjosa river, one of the most important wetlands in Albania. Conservationists fear that the planned construction of luxury hotels, villa complexes and leisure facilities on an area of ​​45 hectares could cause lasting damage to the sensitive ecosystem in the Vjosa Delta. These include resting and breeding areas for flamingos, herons and other birds.

The general contractor for the project is the company Affinity Partners, which is backed by Kushner. The project is intended to extend over an area near Zvernec and the offshore island of Sazan. The investment amount is expected to amount to 1.4 billion euros. The first protest in Tirana took place on May 30th. Since Monday, opponents of the project have been taking to the streets every day. More demonstrations are to follow.