Hundreds of protesters have torn down fences surrounding a planned luxury development site in Albania, as public anger continues to mount over construction in environmentally sensitive areas.
Demonstrations were originally triggered by proposals by a company linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, plans to build a luxury resort near Vlora on the Adriatic coast, an area which is famous for its flamingos and a turtle nesting site.
Dissent has now spread to the village of Rjoll, which is located in an area of sandy beaches and a pine forest in northwestern Albania, where locals demonstrated against a separate development on Saturday, saying it was being built on their confiscated land.
They waved Albanian national flags and shouted "revolution" as they tore down fences. Some scuffles with police 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, one of the landowners.
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, 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?"
Thousands of people have protested in recent weeks in Albania against the luxury tourism project linked to Kushner.
The scheme, backed by Kushner's investment firm, is estimated to be worth around $4 billion and would include hotels and tourism facilities across hundreds of acres of protected coastal land.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has strongly defended the Kushner-linked project, arguing that it complies with Albanian law and environmental regulations.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington next week as tensions continue to rise across the Mid...
Brazil has denied visa requests for two Trump administration officials who planned to travel to the country to cast doubt on the integrity of its elec...
A journey into one of the darkest chapters of the Baltic states' history. ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
The U.S. military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks. The latest operation lasted more than two hours, according to U.S. Central Command.
Spain has declared a national emergency and evacuated more than 10,000 people after uncontrolled wildfires reached the outskirts of Madrid. Emergency crews have rescued residents as multiple blazes continue to spread across the region.
Six candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary-General have called for restoring the organisation's credibility, strengthening multilateralism and reforming the UN, during the first public town hall debate ahead of a decisive Security Council vote next week.
Brazil has denied visa requests for two Trump administration officials who planned to travel to the country to cast doubt on the integrity of its electoral system, two Brazilian officials with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington next week as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recently offered the dismissed Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Federov an adviser role in Italy.
Romania said on Saturday that it had shot down a second drone after it entered the country's airspace in as many days.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment