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.
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