Tens of thousands of Albanians join ‘Flamingo Revolution’ protest

Paper flamingos and Albanian flags filled Tirana on Saturday as tens of thousands of Albanians from across Europe joined a protest against government corruption and Jared Kushner’s plans for a $4bn coastal resort.

The demonstration, among the largest in Albania in years, brought together families, football fans, nationalists and even a caravan of cars from London in a rare display of unity. Many called for both Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha to be jailed.

Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has put forward plans for a luxury development on Sazan, Albania’s only big island in the Adriatic, and a nearby coastal area beside a nature reserve that is home to flamingoes. The project has inspired a protest movement dubbed the Flamingo Revolution.