Without intending to offend those who have just started their vacations, we need to take stock and see who have been the kings of this summer that the imminent autumn already threatens with a slight drop in temperatures. Stepping out of the usual categories, we will not pay attention to Shakira and her Dai-Dai, the anthem of the World Cup won by Spain, or to Aitana's Superstar (oh, we are back to insisting on Ferrán Torres' goal on July 19). Because the summer sensation in touristy Albania has been the graceful flamingo, which has been parading its pink feathers through the streets for three months in the country in the form of a revolution. The protests against the construction projects of one of Donald Trump's two sons-in-law, the famous Jared Kushner, have just completed 90 uninterrupted days, although they have lost some momentum. But neither the summer break nor the pressures from Prime Minister Edi Rama have managed to stop them.
"The turnout has decreased, but it is possible that they will grow again when the summer vacations end and institutional activity resumes," explains journalist Zana Cimili, from the AP agency, who is covering this movement.
Kushner, through the company Infinity Partners and its partners, plans to build large complexes in ecologically valuable coastal areas, mainly in the Nartë-Zvërnec area (a passage area for the symbolic flamingos) and the island of Sazan. The latter, a former Cold War enclave that was already enjoyed by Albanians and their tourists, but which Ivanka Trump claimed to have discovered, "barefoot," after arriving with her husband - a regular in peace negotiations on behalf of her father-in-law - on a boat.
In a podcast that sparked controversy, the eldest daughter of the US president said that the land "is incredibly pristine and unique" and that they were working "with the world's brightest architects to not alter the topography, respecting the native vegetation and maintaining the wild spirit of the island while building villas integrated into the rock." What started as environmental protests quickly turned into a sociopolitical movement in Tirana and a demand for Rama's resignation, who has been in power for 13 years.
"There have been no signs that the Government has changed its stance," continues the AP reporter. "Prime Minister Rama continues to defend the project, calling it the country's largest foreign investment and arguing that it will boost tourism and Albania's economy," explains Zana Cimili.
"The Government seems to be primarily betting on wearing them out: avoiding directly addressing the main political demands of the protesters, defending the projects as legitimate investments, and trusting that a leaderless movement will eventually lose strength. However, the fact that the protests have lasted so long is significant in itself," highlights journalist, analyst, and TV presenter Lufti Dervishi.
As a curious fact, on many days, American Steve H. Hanke, professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University and former advisor to the Albanian government after the fall of communism in 1991, tweets a counter with the same message: "For the 90th consecutive day, the protesters of the FLAMINGO REVOLUTION took to the streets of Tirana. Albanians continue to protest against the CORRUPT GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Rama and against Jared Kushner's luxury tourist complex project, Trump's son-in-law. THE FLAMINGO REVOLUTION IS STRONG. IT'S TIME FOR PRIME MINISTER RAMA TO PACK HIS BAGS."
Citizens Channel is a digital citizen journalism outlet that broadcasts a nightly streaming of the protests on its YouTube channel. Lorin Kadiu is in charge and recalls that "it is the longest and most intense demonstration since the regime change in 1991." He explains that the clashes with the police and detentions stopped when the Parliament closed its activities in August, as the concentrations ceased there.
"The atmosphere is mostly peaceful in terms of direct police or institutional pressure," he explains, but, "simultaneously, another protest is taking place on the internet, where activists and groups denounce constant cyberattacks and forced removal of critical content against the Government supporting the flamingo revolution." Regarding turnout, he, like Cimili, expects the numbers to increase in September: "There are daily actions on the street, including painting messages with giant letters on the boulevard and the march through the streets of Tirana held every evening."
Dervishi believes that "the most immediate pressure could shift increasingly from the streets to legal and institutional avenues. There are already investigations (by SPAK, the special prosecution) into land acquisitions linked to the development of Zvërnec, while the European Parliament has called for a moratorium on new permits and urban interventions in protected areas until Albanian legislation aligns with EU standards." Albania is, after Montenegro, the favorite to join the EU.
"The case of Sazan is different: there are no ownership disputes there, so any possible legal avenue would focus more on environmental procedures, permits, and compliance with environmental regulations from both Albania and the EU. The real question is whether legal and institutional control can substantially alter projects that already have very strong political and economic backing," emphasizes this analyst and TV presenter.