Pop star,
whose parents are Kosovan Albanian, expresses admiration for demonstrations,
which are entering their sixth week
Helena
Smith
Tue 14
Jul 2026 18.39 BST
Albania’s
“flamingo revolution” has won its most prominent supporter yet after the pop
star Dua Lipa expressed admiration for the protest movement against a Trump
family-backed resort in the Balkan state.
As
demonstrations against the €1.6bn (£1.36bn) real estate project entered a sixth
week, the London-born singer, who was partially raised in Pristina, home to her
Kosovan Albanian émigré parents, described the civic unrest as “inspiring”.
Addressing
the issue in conversation with the Albanian academic and author Lea Ypi on her
Service95 Book Club podcast, Lipa said: “I find it so inspiring to see how much
people really care.”
The
project, which in part foresees widespread construction on Sazan, Albania’s
only island, is backed by investors led by the US president’s son-in-law Jared
Kushner, and his wife, Ivanka Trump. In a podcast released in May, Trump
described the planned resort as “massive” and beautiful.
The
venture was fast-tracked after the Albanian parliament controversially amended
stringent legislation in December 2024 to allow construction in environmentally
sensitive areas. There is no evidence Kushner had any role in the change.
But it
was this move by the parliament that Lipa, 30, said raised questions over
perceived government transparency.
“What I
actually find concerning is the principle that the government could just change
the law to remove the environmental protection without any kind of public
consultation,” Lipa told listeners.
As well
as the development on Sazan, the project plans an additional 10,000 villas
built along a strip of white, sandy shore on the Zvërnec peninsula opposite.
Both are
uninhabited and considered nature reserves hosting vital ecosystems and
wildlife zones for birdlife and other rare species in the Adriatic. MEPs have
warned the EU member candidate that accession talks could be endangered if
environmental standards are not upheld. Albania had hoped to join the bloc by
2030.
Albania’s
prime minister, Edi Rama, has called the development – the biggest investment
the erstwhile communist state has ever seen – “a gift to Europe” and “a
blessing” for a nation that, more than 30 years after its embrace of democracy,
remains among the poorest in the west. Despite the opposition, the veteran
socialist has steadfastly refused to back down.
Lipa’s
intervention was enthusiastically received on the 45th day of mass protests in
Tirana, the Albanian capital.
Aleksander
Trajce, who heads the nation’s leading conservation group, the Protection and
Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), told the Guardian
the singer’s comments were not only “fantastic but well-timed”.
“It was a
very powerful statement. A lot of especially younger Albanians, who see her as
an idol, have been inspired,” he said. “This is the 45th day of our protests
and there is no sign they are going to stop.”
Asked if
there was any indication of a change of heart at an official level, Trajce
added: “The government is now beginning to do what it should have done from the
start, such as conducting an environmental impact study but on [Zvërnec] the
damage has already been done; works have taken place, there has been an
environmental crime and people should be held accountable.”
Despite
the protests, developers say they will progress responsibly, saying their focus
remains on “responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation
and creating long-term value for local communities”.
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