San Francisco Frontiers - Albanians step up protests at Trump-linked property development

Answering a call from environmental organisations, activists from across the country as well as local residents flocked midday to the Vjosa-Narta lagoon, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of the capital Tirana.

"The whole of this marine area is a protected zone. To destroy it would be fatal for this region's biodiversity," Emiljona Puja, a finance worker, told AFP.

Protesters gathered on a sandy beach facing azure waters, some waving red Albanian flags, others carrying inflatable flamingos -- the movement’s symbol -- while chanting "cancel the project!".

There had been unrest at the location during an initial protest in late May against preparatory onsite work during installation of barbed wire to cordon off the area. The barbed wire has since been removed.

People rushed there after seeing videos on social media showing construction work and bulldozers on the beach. Those machines were not there on Saturday either.

AFP journalists observed concrete foundations for a fence on the ground that had also been removed.

Protests against a project whose cost is estimated at some four billion euros ($4.6 billion) and is linked to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are gaining momentum in the Balkan country.

Thousands of protesters have been gathering every evening for nearly a week in Tirana to denounce what they view as the planned destruction of entire sections of the Vjosa-Narta Nature Reserve and its conversion into a luxury tourist destination.

According to the plan, developers also hope to transform the uninhabited island of Sazan -- once a secret communist military base -- into a glitzy tourist destination.

Another rally is scheduled for Saturday evening.

The coastal lagoon on the southern Adriatic coact is home to many migratory birds, including flamingos.

"This is a problem not only regarding the transparency of this whole process, but also everything has happened with a complete disregard of the environmental importance of this area," said Denisa Kasa, of the Albanian Association for the Protection of the Environment (PPNEA).

"This area is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean," added Kasa.

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday downplayed the protests, insisting there was "no reason to worry" and added the project had yet to be approved.

He insisted that "top" world experts were involved in the plan and that the aim was "to make something unique".

H.Reyes--SFF