Thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets of the capital Tirana in the largest protest yet against a luxury resort development backed by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Protesters on Wednesday held signs that said “Albania is not for sale” and chanted “New Albania” outside Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office as the crowd stretched half a mile down one of the city’s main boulevards.

The project, expected to cost about 5 billion euros ($5.8bn), has provoked outrage in the Balkan country because of its location near a protected wetland home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

Critics have also raised concerns about a lack of transparency surrounding the plans designed by foreign investors. “This is the prime example of what has been happening in Albania for the last 35 years,” protester Leand Lakrori told the Reuters news agency.

The protests, which erupted in the village of Zvernec on the southern coastline where the resort is planned, have been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution. Rama has sought to play down the ecological concerns, saying an environmental impact assessment would be completed and that the project would proceed responsibly.

The European Union, which has said it could admit Albania and other Balkan countries by 2030, warned that alignment with European environmental law would be a condition of accession. The protests are the latest test for Rama, who has been in power since 2013 and faces criticism over corruption and basic services.

Source: www.aljazeera.com