Albanian police have clashed with demonstrators outside the country’s parliament in Tirana, deploying tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon against protesters who pelted officers with rocks, eggs and plastic bottles in the most violent confrontation yet in the month-long Flamingo Revolution.
Three police officers were injured in Thursday’s clashes, Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari confirmed. Some protesters used part of a metal barrier to smash the windows of a police car during the confrontation, which erupted as several hundred people gathered outside the Albanian parliament chanting “Rama has to go to jail” and demanding the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“The protesters want their voice to be heard inside the parliament, as the prime minister for so many days has not heard them and has ignored them,” protester Agustela Thoma told reporters. “But enough is enough.”
Lamallari condemned the violence in strong terms. “I strongly condemn the acts of vandalism and criminal violence against State Police officers,” he said. “Police officers are public servants, citizens of the Republic, and family members just like everyone else. They serve the law, public order, and the safety of every citizen, without distinction. An attack against them is an attack against the state.”
The clashes represent an escalation of daily demonstrations that began more than a month ago in opposition to a proposed luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, on the Adriatic coast near Narta Lagoon. The planned resort, which spans an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront, has drawn fierce criticism from environmental campaigners concerned about its potential impact on protected migratory bird habitats, including flamingos — the species that gave the protest movement its name.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in recent weeks blowing whistles and carrying cardboard flamingo cut-outs. What began as a campaign focused on environmental protection has since broadened into a wider movement demanding political accountability and the resignation of the prime minister.
The Albanian government has defended the Narta Lagoon development as transformational for the country, arguing it would help establish Albania in the high-end tourism market and strengthen its case for European Union membership. Critics say the project is emblematic of deeper governance failures and a lack of transparency in how decisions affecting protected areas are being made.
