{"id":541467,"date":"2026-07-14T19:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/541467\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T19:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:19:09","slug":"dua-lipa-calls-albanian-protests-against-jared-kushner-backed-resort-inspiring-dua-lipa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/541467\/","title":{"rendered":"Dua Lipa calls Albanian protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort \u2018inspiring\u2019 | Dua Lipa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Albania\u2019s \u201cflamingo revolution\u201d has won its most prominent supporter yet after the pop star Dua Lipa<\/a> expressed admiration for the protest movement against a Trump family-backed resort in the Balkan state.<\/p>\n

As demonstrations against the \u20ac1.6bn (\u00a31.36bn) real estate project entered a sixth week, the London-born singer, who was partially raised in Pristina, home to her Kosovan Albanian \u00e9migr\u00e9 parents, described the civic unrest as \u201cinspiring\u201d.<\/p>\n

Protests against the development in Tirana are on their 45th day. Photograph: Vlasov Sulaj\/Jna Press\/Nexpher\/Zuma Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Addressing the issue in conversation with the Albanian academic and author Lea Ypi on her Service95 Book Club podcast, Lipa said: \u201cI find it so inspiring to see how much people really care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project, which foresees widespread construction on Sazan, Albania\u2019s only island, is backed by investors led by the US president\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner<\/a>, and his wife, Ivanka Trump. In a podcast released in May, Trump described the planned resort as \u201cmassive\u201d and beautiful.<\/p>\n

The project 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.<\/p>\n

But it was this move by the parliament that Lipa, 30, said raised questions over perceived government transparency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat 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,\u201d Lipa told listeners.<\/p>\n

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 Zv\u00ebrnec peninsula opposite.<\/p>\n

A bay at the Vjosa-Narta protected area, where a luxury resort is planned by a company linked to Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Zv\u00ebrnec. Photograph: Florion Goga\/Reuters<\/p>\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Albania\u2019s prime minister, Edi Rama, has called the development \u2013 the biggest investment the erstwhile communist state has ever seen \u2013 \u201ca gift to Europe\u201d and \u201ca blessing\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Lipa\u2019s intervention was enthusiastically received on the 45th day of mass protests in Tirana, the Albanian capital.<\/p>\n

Aleksander Trajce, who heads the nation\u2019s leading conservation group, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), told the Guardian the singer\u2019s comments were not only \u201cfantastic but well-timed\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very powerful statement. A lot of especially younger Albanians, who see her as an idol, have been inspired,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the 45th day of our protests and there is no sign they are going to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if there was any indication of a change of heart at an official level, Trajce added: \u201cThe government is now beginning to do what it should have done from the start, such as conducting an environmental impact study but on [Zv\u00ebrnec] the damage has already been done; works have taken place, there has been an environmental crime and people should be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the protests, developers say they will progress responsibly, saying their focus remains on \u201cresponsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation and creating long-term value for local communities\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Albania\u2019s \u201cflamingo revolution\u201d has won its most prominent supporter yet after the pop star Dua Lipa expressed admiration…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-541467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}