Protest on Albania’s southern coast over development project linked to Jared Kushner

(6 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Zvernec, Albania - 6 June 2026 1. Various drone shots of Zvernec-Narta area ++MUTE++ 2. Various of protesters on the Zvernec beach 3. Close of protesters holding a poster with picture of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and text, reading (Albanian) "Sorry for being so Balkanic, but they are selling our land" 3. Mid of protesters waving Albanian flags 4. Close up of protesters holding signs, one reading (English) "The habitat was fine until they changed the law" 5. Various of crowds protesting on the beach 6. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Ana Shima, protester: "I think this part should be protected. We have lost many parts of Albania that have the same untouched and virgin nature as Zvernec and Narta. I think this is even more important because we have species that are extinct everywhere in the Mediterranean and we still have them here." 7. Wide of protest 8. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Petrel Baliu, protester: "There are many Albanians who suffer from the unresolved land issue, because here in Albania whoever is stronger grabs the land. We have had problems with a family that claims, with fake documents, that they have land here." 9. Wide of Zvernec beach 10. Mid of boat covered with a sheet reading (English): "Hands off Vjosa Narta" 11. Various of protesters on the beach 12. Wide of swimmer Eva Buzo after swimming around Sazan Island 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eva Buzo, swimmer and protester: "You know, wanting to connect with my Albanian heritage and show off the beautiful natural wonders here, because I think is so underappreciated about Albania. So I came up here because, you know, the protest started the beginning of last week, it seemed to escalate each day. I reached out to people and said, 'how can I help?' and we decided that we would do this." 14. Various of Zvernec-Narta drone shots ++MUTE++ STORYLINE: People from across Albania gathered Saturday in Zvernec to protest against a planned tourist resort linked to Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner. Protesters chanted, “Narta is ours,” referring to the protected area of Narta-Zvernec, and held flamingo posters as they voiced opposition to this project. The luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base. The demonstrations began a week ago and intensified after a security guard was seen dragging an activist near the fence of a land parcel where the project is expected to be built. Environmental organizations oppose the planned investment, arguing that it could damage an area of significant ecological and environmental value. In support of the protests, Australian-Albanian swimmer Eva Buzo swam around the nearby Sazan Island before continuing to Zvernec, where she joined the demonstrators. "I reached out to people and said, 'How can I help?' and we decided that we would do this swim. You know, these areas are protected", Buzo told reporters. In addition to environmental concerns, residents who own property in the Zvernec area say land ownership issues remain unresolved. "There are many Albanians who suffer from the unresolved land issue, because here in Albania whoever is stronger grabs the land," protester Petrel Baliu said. AP video shot by Eri Xhabafti =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...