Mass protests have continued in Albania for a fourth consecutive day against the construction of a new resort project linked to the Trump family.
Activists say the project threatens protected natural areas on the country’s southern coast.
The project is a coastal tourist complex worth about $1.2 billion. It is being developed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the U.S. president, and his wife, Ivanka Trump.
Some protesters’ placards read: “Edi Rama, resign.” Others show Albania’s prime minister handing the keys to the country to Ivanka Trump.
Demonstrators say the construction will damage the environment because it involves building hotels in the protected Vjosa-Narta area on the southern coast.
Under the plan, the developers also intend to turn Sazan Island, a former secret military base, into a luxury tourist resort.
According to AFP, the protests intensified after reports that security guards attacked a man near the protected area, and after footage emerged showing preparatory construction work and bulldozers on the beach.
Participants in the demonstrations are demanding the repeal of the “strategic investors” law, which speeds up the implementation of selected projects, as well as a review of changes to protected-area legislation that allow hotel complexes to be built in conservation zones.
Human rights activist Luciana Kokaj told journalists that she owns property in northern Albania which, she said, a “major investor” had tried to take from her using forged documents.