Violent protests erupt outside Albania’s parliament over the Trump-linked Zvernec resort, as police clash with demonstrators.
TIRANA: Violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators outside Albania’s parliament on Thursday, as protests against a controversial resort development linked to US President Donald Trump’s family threatened to escalate.
Since late May, protests have been held against the construction of a luxury hotel linked to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner in a nature reserve in Zvernec, on Albania’s southwestern coast.
For the second time this week, large groups of protesters had gathered outside the country’s parliament in an attempt to confront lawmakers and block entry to the building.
Hundreds of demonstrators were met with lines of riot police who pushed them back from the building, leading to clashes and several arrests, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
Police used pepper spray and a water cannon in an attempt to break up the crowd as some protesters attempted push through lines of officers.
Nine officers were injured by projectiles thrown by protesters, police said, but did not confirm arrest numbers.
People were also seen smashing the windows of an empty police car in a nearby street as the crowd was pushed away from area.
It comes after six protesters were arrested on Tuesday when demonstrators lobbed eggs at lawmakers’ cars.
The violence is a marked contrast to the overwhelmingly peaceful daily gatherings that have drawn thousands to the streets since the movement began.
The planned resort was first unveiled in 2024, but the latest wave of protests began after barbed-wire fencing and bulldozers appeared on beaches in late May.
Opposition to the project has become a flashpoint for anger over perceived corruption, with protesters calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down over what they describe as a lack of transparency.
