Above photo: Protesters who say their land has been taken unjustly, tear down the fence where a tourist resort is to be built by the Adriatic coast, in Rrjoll, near Shkodra, Albania, June 13, 2026. Reuters/Florion Goga.
Amid anger over coastal projects.
Rrjoll, Albania – Some 200 protesters on Saturday tore down metal and razor wire fences surrounding a luxury development site on Albania’s Adriatic coast, in another sign of growing anger against construction in environmentally sensitive areas.
Albanians have been protesting for weeks against a planned luxury resort backed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, near Vlora, which is famed for its flamingos and a turtle nesting site.
On Saturday, villagers from Rrjoll, located in an area of sandy beaches and pine forests in northwestern Albania, protested against another project not linked to Kushner, saying it was being built on their confiscated land.
They waved Albanian national flags and shouted “Revolution” as they tore down the fences. Some scuffles with police broke out but the police did not stop them from removing the fencing.
BREAKING: Tensions Are Escalating In Albania.
After days of protests over a controversial luxury resort project, demonstrators in Rrjoll, northern Albania, tore down fencing surrounding the construction site.
Protesters say land belonging to roughly 200 local families was… pic.twitter.com/tsRLkHhZa1
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 14, 2026
“The protests will not stop until the residents of the village of Rrjoll are compensated. We are 200 families whose land has been seized,” said Zeke Nikolle Shullani, 56, one of the landowners who have been protesting for several months.
An Albanian company has been developing a five-star luxury tourist resort on the site and the project was granted “special status investor” by the Albanian government.
“What is happening in this country is madness,” said Nikolin Markpalaj, 60, another local landowner. “We asked the investors to come and consult with the people but they refused. They think they can take all this wealth without blood or anything else that might happen here?”
Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Ivana Sekularac. Editing by Gareth Jones.
NOW: Day 15 of Albania protests, ongoing night march along the Tirana-Durrës highway #albaniaisnotforsale
Demands:
– Resignation of the government
– Repeal of the ‘strategic investment’ law
– Repeal of amendments to the Protected Areas law
– Cultural Heritage law https://t.co/Awe3eTIkn7 pic.twitter.com/NTI1X0Srhf— kthetrat ⚡ (@kthetrat) June 14, 2026
