The Flamingo Revolution against Ivanka Trump's resort

The Albanian movement is spontaneous and cuts across social categories. By taking to the streets to shout “Albania is not for sale,” they are overturning all the stereotypes about Albanians. And they are teaching Europe a lesson.

The silhouette of the island of Sazan can be seen across the sea from every corner of the city of Vlorë. It is shaped like a mother's breast. Two rounded, fertile hollows – distant, yet always present. It is a landmark to orient oneself by, but also, more than anything, a reassuring one, despite the more than 3,000 bunkers built back in the day by Enver Hoxha, who was obsessed with scenarios of attacks on the country that, for more than 40 years, was the most isolated in Europe. 

It is reassuring because the island of Sazan is one of Albania’s natural emblems. It is a precious, fragile and unique symbol. On the other side, along the coast, lies the Vjosa-Narta lagoon, a protected area near Zvërnec whose waters are home to extremely rare marine species. This is the territory of the pink flamingos, which have become the symbol of these places and now also the protagonists of the protest movement. They have called it the Flamingo Revolution.

A few days ago, at the end of May, residents of Vlorë who regularly visit Zvërnec beach found it surrounded by barbed wire. Beyond the fences, bulldozers were already devastating and altering one of the most fragile and delicate areas of the Mediterranean. Defending the construction site, in addition to the barbed wire, were dozens of thugs dressed in black who did not hesitate to use violence in response to residents’ protests. Videos of that incident spread quickly. 

It might have seemed like a localized event destined to be quickly forgotten, one of the millions of reels to scroll through on our smartphones for a few seconds........

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