Albania Protests Linked to Kushner Resort Grow to Largest Yet
Are fears misplaced or are Albanians right to be marching in the streets?
Above: Protests in Tirana, Albania on June 10. Image credit: Adnan Beci/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This development will be beautiful and attract even more investment into Albania. Such innovation is always met with resistance but Albanians will be proud of it when it's complete. Meanwhile, the EU has nothing to fear as the environmental impacts are being fully considered.
Establishment-critical narrative
While the government tries to allege that a foreign state is behind the unrest, for ordinary Albanians, it was the images of a beaten protester being dragged away that have stoked the anger, evoking past periods of repression. In addition to the environmental worries, the development also revived existing concerns about narrow economic interests and corruption taking precedence over the needs of ordinary citizens.
