August M
When ultra-wealthy investors target untouched corners of the world for luxury developments, local communities often push back hard.
Finding the balance between economic growth and preserving natural beauty often sparks fierce debate. Now, a massive new island project has triggered a wave of outrage across a European nation, reports The Express.
Anger in Albania
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are facing intense backlash over plans to build a luxury resort. The development is slated for Sazan, a beautiful island in the Adriatic Sea.
The project, managed by Kushner’s firm Affinity Partners, recently returned to the public spotlight. According to The Express, thousands of angry citizens flooded the streets of Tirana to protest the development.
Online critics have been equally fierce. On Instagram, furious locals sent clear warnings to the American developers. One user wrote, “Albania is not for sale back up,” while another added, “Hands off Albania. Albania belongs to Albanians.”
Environmental devastation feared
The scale of the project is massive, with The Independent reporting a staggering price tag of up to £1.19 billion. Environmental groups warn it will ruin hundreds of hectares of pristine beaches.
Asher Abehsera, chairman of Sazan Real Estate Development LLC, stated that the focus “remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, and creating long-term value for local communities” but critics are highly skeptical.
Local experts fear irreversible damage. Joni Vorpsi, an ecologist for PPNEA-BirdLife Albania, told The Independent, “We want all construction to halt and heavy machines out of the protected area. This would be a new city with around 10,000 rooms and it will completely destroy that wild region.”
Shouting from afar
The anger intensified after Ivanka discussed the venture on a podcast, praising the 1,400-hectare private island.
She said: “An incredibly project with my project in the Mediterranean. It’s massive in scale. It’s an unbelievable, beautiful, 1,400 hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean. Over the course of many years we developed the opportunity to help realise its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful that really the architecture has been fully integrated into it, almost rise from it.”
Locals blasted the remarks as tone deaf. One viewer wrote: “Why in the hell would she throw this in the face of Millions of less fortunate people in a failing economy. Beyond out of touch.”
Sources: The Express, The Independent
