ZVERNEC, Albanie: Several hundred people gathered Saturday in a protected nature reserve on the Albanian coast to protest at plans for a luxury beach resort by a company linked to the Trump family.
Answering a call from environmental organisations, activists from across the country as well as local residents flocked midday to the Vjosa-Narta lagoon, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of the capital Tirana. “The whole of this marine area is a protected zone. To destroy it would be fatal for this region´s biodiversity,” Emiljona Puja, a finance worker, told AFP.
Protesters gathered on a sandy beach facing azure waters, some waving red Albanian flags, others carrying inflatable flamingos -- the movement´s symbol -- while chanting “cancel the project!”. There had been unrest at the location during an initial protest in late May against preparatory onsite work during installation of barbed wire to cordon off the area.
