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Thousands of Albanians gathered Friday in Tirana for a 20th consecutive day of protests against a resort development linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's family.
Since late May, demonstrators have gathered every evening to oppose the construction of a luxury resort linked to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, planned within a protected coastal area in the Balkan country.
A large crowd assembled in Tirana's Skanderbeg Square under the slogan "Albania is not for sale" before marching with national flags toward the Prime Minister's Office on Martyrs of the Nation Boulevard.
The demonstrators demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, accusing his administration of selling public coastal land for a $4 billion development project allegedly linked to Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
While Rama previously denied the Trump family's ownership of the project in an interview with CNN, local media reported that Albania's Special Prosecution Office has launched an investigation into the matter.
Protesters vowed to continue their daily rallies until the government cancels the development contracts.
Opposition to the project has become a broader outlet for public frustration over perceived corruption, with calls for Rama's resignation increasingly dominating the demonstrations.
As they marched through the capital, protesters waved Albanian flags and chanted, "Cancel the project," "Rama go," "Rama non grata," and "Albania is not for sale."
Pink flamingos, which have become the symbol of the movement, appeared on banners carried through the crowd.
For environmental activist Denisa Kasa, the protests have already produced tangible results, particularly a moratorium proposal backed by the European Parliament.
"A moratorium in this case would entail that all new buildings and constructions in the protected areas stop, while in the meantime no new permissions for developments are given," Kasa told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We are here to raise our voice against this project but also against the current law on protected areas that opens the door for other projects in other areas, which are protected areas," biologist Xhemal Xheri told AFP.
Ahead of Friday's rally, police said 27 people had been accused of directing protesters across roads and away from pre-approved routes during an overnight march in the capital.
The protesters were accused of carrying out "actions that undermine public order and safety," according to police.
The move followed a similar operation earlier this week, when 35 people were charged with allegedly blocking a highway during demonstrations.
The wave of protests began after barbed-wire fencing and bulldozers appeared on a beach in the coastal area of Zvernec, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tirana.
Clashes between local protesters and private security personnel at the proposed construction site sparked national outrage and rapidly drew large crowds into the streets.
The Kushner-backed resort, along with another planned development on nearby Sazan Island, would be built near a key breeding site for migratory birds, including hundreds of flamingos.
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