{"id":286,"date":"2026-06-03T19:38:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=286"},"modified":"2026-06-03T19:38:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:38:02","slug":"protests-in-albania-grow-in-opposition-to-kushners-4-billion-luxury-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=286","title":{"rendered":"Protests in Albania Grow in Opposition to Kushner\u2019s $4 Billion Luxury Resort"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a <\/span><\/i>quick donation<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Read more In Sudan, Perpetrators of War Crimes Are Rewarded While Civilians Languish<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Thousands of people in Albania took to the streets on Tuesday night for the fourth consecutive day, in protest of a $4 billion luxury resort project on Albania\u2019s largest island spearheaded by Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n

Protests near the site began on Saturday, May 30, after developers erected barbed-wire fences blocking off public access to the local beach and coast. Demonstrators attempted to force a halt to the construction. After private security guards dragged a protestor away, anger mounted further. <\/p>\n

At the construction site, protestors shouted, \u201cDon\u2019t defend the oligarchs, these are the citizens\u2019 properties!\u201d <\/p>\n

On Monday and Tuesday, the protests expanded into the capital city, Tirana, with thousands taking to the streets. Protestors chanted \u201cAlbania belongs to Albanians,\u201d and held signs that read \u201cI don\u2019t want Albania like Dubai\u201d and \u201cHands off Vjosa-Narta,\u201d a protected area along the coast that the project will encroach on. <\/p>\n

The project is set for Sazan, Albania\u2019s only island in the Mediterranean. Kushner, Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law, announced his plans to turn the island into a resort in 2024. His wife Ivanka Trump has also spoken about the island, which she said she and Kushner laid eyes on while vacationing in the area. <\/p>\n

The development will likely be inaccessible to everyday people \u2013 Kushner has called it a \u201cvery high-end luxury product.\u201d It will feature 10,000 hotel rooms and villas. <\/p>\n

Part of the project is in a protected area, a \u201ccoastal wetland area home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites,\u201d which people fear will be harmed and polluted by the development. <\/p>\n

Read more Democratic Colorado Governor Vetoes Historic Surveillance Pricing Bill<\/a><\/p>\n

In January, 41 environmental organizations from 28 countries sent a letter to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, calling for \u201cthe immediate suspension\u201d of the project as it poses \u201cserious risks to the biodiversity and critical habitats of the area,\u201d many of which are endangered species. <\/p>\n

Rama agreed to the project to boost the country\u2019s tourism economy. Last year, Rama\u2019s Strategic Investment Committee granted Kushner\u2019s firm Affinity Partners \u201cstrategic investor\u201d status, which expedites permits and access to state land. <\/p>\n

But the last few days of protests have prompted the opening of an investigation by Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors. <\/p>\n

Kushner\u2019s firm also purchased a tower complex in the Serbian capital Belgrade, with the intent to create a luxury hotel complex, but protests halted the project and resulted in the indictment of multiple officials on corruption charges.<\/p>\n

Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner\u2019s private equity and investment firm, has a focus on investments in the U.S. and Israel, and is largely funded by the Saudi government \u2013 making it the first time that Saudi Arabia has invested in Israel. Kushner sees it as part of his efforts to bring about normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, saying that the Saudi government\u2019s agreement to fund Affinity Partners \u201ckicked off historic regional change which needs to be reinforced and nurtured to achieve its potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Saudi government\u2019s wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, initially objected to funding Affinity Partners, but Mohammed bin Salman \u2013 crown prince and close ally to Kushner \u2013 stepped in to overrule this decision. <\/p>\n

Kushner also serves on Trump\u2019s flailing \u201cBoard of Peace,\u201d which the president created to oversee the redevelopment of Gaza in the wake of Israel\u2019s U.S.-backed genocide. Kushner, who sits on the \u201cGaza Executive Board,\u201d presented his plan for a \u201cNew Gaza\u201d in Davos this January \u2013 and it also imagined a tourist and resort hub, likely dependent on the forced transfer of Palestinians from the Strip. <\/p>\n

Read more Jeffries Says Dems Aren\u2019t Thinking About Trump Impeachment \u201cAt This Moment\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon\u2019t defend the oligarchs, these are the citizens\u2019 properties!\u201d protestors shouted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nProtests in Albania Grow in Opposition to Kushner\u2019s $4 Billion Luxury Resort - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=286\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Protests in Albania Grow in Opposition to Kushner\u2019s $4 Billion Luxury Resort - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cDon\u2019t defend the oligarchs, these are the citizens\u2019 properties!\u201d protestors shouted.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=286\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T19:38:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"Protests in Albania Grow in Opposition to Kushner\u2019s $4 Billion Luxury Resort\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T19:38:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286\"},\"wordCount\":648,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/9cb5c8cb09dbcde0b854da2aa058e5bf.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=286\",\"name\":\"Protests in Albania Grow in Opposition to Kushner\u2019s $4 Billion Luxury Resort - 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