About 200 protesters on Saturday tore down metal and razor-wire fences surrounding a luxury development site on Albania’s Adriatic coast, in another sign of growing anger against construction in environmentally sensitive areas.
Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, near Vlora, which is famed for its flamingos and a turtle nesting site.
On Saturday, villagers from Rrjoll, located in an area of sandy beaches and pine forests in north-western Albania, protested against another project, saying it was being built on their confiscated land.
They waved Albanian national flags and shouted “Revolution!” as they tore down the fences. Some scuffles with law enforcement broke out but the police did not stop them from removing the fencing.
“The protests will not stop until the residents of the village of Rrjoll are compensated. We are 200 families whose land has been seized,” said Zeke Nikolle Shullani, 56, one of the landowners who have been protesting for several months.
An Albanian company has been developing a five-star luxury tourist resort on the site and the project was granted “special status investor” by the Albanian government.
“What is happening in this country is madness,” said Nikolin Markpalaj, 60, another local landowner. “We asked the investors to come and consult with the people but they refused. They think they can take all this wealth without blood or anything else that might happen here?”