The ongoing protests in Albania have been dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution" as colourful flamingo cutouts are raised above crowds demonstrating against a luxury tourism development in a sensitive coastal wetland area linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
What began as an environmental campaign against the planned development has rapidly evolved into a broader protest movement. Demonstrators are now calling not only for the project to be halted but also for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down, prompting comparisons with the "colour revolutions" that swept parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in the 2000s and 2010s.
The movement has spread from the coastal village of Zvërnec, near the proposed development site, to the capital Tirana. For several consecutive days, thousands of people have taken to the streets, making the protests one of the most significant public mobilisations Albania has seen in recent years.
In the latest demonstration on June 3, protesters carrying cardboard and inflatable flamingos – symbols of the lagoon's birdlife and protected ecosystem – marched through central Tirana under the banner of a "Flamingo Revolution". According to broadcaster Top-Channel, demonstrators breached police barriers and advanced toward Rama's office, prompting officers to deploy water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Organisers are seeking to broaden the movement beyond Albania. Protests are planned in cities across Europe with large Albanian diaspora communities, from Stockholm to London to Milan, in the coming days.
Support for the demonstrations has also come from outside Albania. The European Green Party, environmental organisations and a group of regional academics have publicly endorsed the protests.
An open letter signed by academics from Albania and neighbouring countries described the movement as a non-partisan mobilisation bringing together environmental activists, students, researchers and civil society groups. The letter referenced an ongoing investigation by Albania's anti-corruption prosecutors into aspects of the project.
"The protests extend beyond environmental concerns," the letter said. "For the first time in decades, citizens from diverse political and social backgrounds have united independently of both the ruling government and the traditional opposition, in response to growing frustration with lack of transparency, corruption, weakening democratic institutions, state capture, and the erosion of the rule of law."
Environmental issues have increasingly become a catalyst for political mobilisation across the Balkans in recent years.
In neighbouring Serbia, repeated protests against pollution, mining projects and urban developments have drawn tens of thousands onto the streets. Demonstrations against Rio Tinto's planned lithium mine in western Serbia became one of the country's largest protest movements in years, eventually forcing the government to suspend the project in 2022, although debate over its future has continued.
The "Don't Drown Belgrade" movement and its symbol of a giant yellow duck also drew thousands of protesters into the streets in opposition to the controversial Belgrade Waterfront project. While the protests became a significant political force, they ultimately failed to halt the development.
In Albania, the use of force against protesters in Zvërnec on May 30, combined with allegations of corruption and lack of transparency surrounding the project approval process helped transform a local environmental dispute into a broader political cause.
Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK), which was established as part of judicial reforms backed by the European Union and US, has opened an investigation into aspects of the development. Protest organisers have argued that the inquiry demonstrates the need for greater scrutiny of the project and of decision-making processes surrounding it.
Whether the movement can develop into something resembling a genuine "colour revolution" remains unclear, and especially given the protests have so far lasted only days, rather than weeks or months.
While initially focused on environmental concerns, protest slogans have increasingly targeted Rama personally, with calls for his resignation becoming more prominent.
The prime minister has strongly defended the investment, portraying it as essential for Albania's economic development and tourism ambitions.
In an interview with CNN International, Rama dismissed reports of nationwide unrest and rejected claims that the development represented a takeover of protected areas by the Trump family.
"There are no protests all over Albania. There is a protest in the capital," Rama said. "There is no such thing as a 'Trump family island'. There is no such thing as the US president's family taking over protected areas with flamingos."
Rama argued that Albania was facing a coordinated disinformation campaign and said the country was "under attack" by competitors and online networks spreading false information.
The Albanian prime minister has become one of the longest-serving leaders in the region. Since first taking office in 2013, he has won four consecutive parliamentary elections, most recently in May 2025.
His victories have been aided in part by the Socialist Party's control of state resources and strong local political networks. However, his Socialist Party has also won support through its steady progress towards EU accession, from securing candidate status in 2014 to overtaking fellow Western Balkan countries Serbia and North Macedonia to become one of the frontrunners in the process, with ambitions to join the bloc by 2030. Rama’s charismatic presence has helped raise the country’s profile on the international stage.
Rama also made progress on fighting corruption, especially in his early years in power, though more recently the government’s reputation has been tarnished by a corruption scandal concerning former deputy prime minister Belinda Balluku, until recently a key member of Rama’s cabinet. Questions have also been raised about the use of public private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure projects, and major investment projects such as the UAE-backed Porto Romano.
Meanwhile, Rama’s Socialists have benefitted from years of infighting within the opposition Democratic Party. The opposition has struggled to recover from internal divisions and leadership disputes following electoral defeats. Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha remains a polarising figure after being sanctioned by the United States over allegations of significant corruption, which he denies.
Berisha's controversial status has complicated the opposition's efforts to present itself as a credible alternative government. Many Albanians also view a return to Berisha's leadership as potentially complicating the country's path toward European Union membership.
This political landscape raises questions about whether the current protests can evolve into a sustained movement capable of challenging the government. Unlike previous colour revolutions, there is currently no obvious opposition figure around whom protesters can rally.
Berisha himself has publicly backed the development project, as reported by Top-Channel TV, meaning the traditional opposition is not aligned with the protesters' central demand. The movement is currently driven primarily by environmental activists, civil society organisations and the leftwing Lëvizja Bashkë movement, rather than Albania's mainstream opposition.
Given an anti-corruption investigation related to the project is already underway, there is a possibility it could be scrapped in the same way a similar project announced by Kushner's Affinity Partners in Serbia was previously.
The planned development on the site of the former Chinese embassy in Belgrade, which was bombed during Nato’s 1999 air campaign, sparked protests, and there have been a series of arrests in connection to a corruption probe.
For now, it remains too early to determine how many Albanians will continue to mobilise, whether the protests can maintain momentum, and whether they can transform from a single-issue environmental campaign into a broader political movement.
The name "Flamingo Revolution" itself evokes a long tradition of colour revolutions across Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
Among the best-known examples were Georgia's Rose Revolution in 2003, which brought Mikheil Saakashvili to power; Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004, which overturned a disputed presidential election; Kyrgyzstan's Tulip Revolution in 2005, which led to the removal of president Askar Akayev; and North Macedonia's Colourful Revolution in 2016, where activists threw paint at government buildings during protests against alleged corruption and abuse of power.
These movements shared common themes of opposition to corruption, demands for democratic reforms and frustration with entrenched political elites. However, as IntelliNews has reported, their long-term results have been mixed. While some brought democratic openings and political change, several countries later experienced renewed political instability, corruption scandals or the return of old political patterns under new leaders.
