A three-boat flotilla arrived in the southern Albanian port city of Vlora on Thursday (August 21) in a show of solidarity with protesters opposing luxury resort developments linked to Jared Kushner on Albania's protected coastline.

The vessels, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, travelled from Italy and were welcomed by supporters of the so-called "Flamingo Revolution", a grassroots movement that began nearly three months ago in opposition to a planned multi-billion-euro luxury tourism project associated with Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

What started as an environmental campaign has evolved into a broader anti-government movement. Tens of thousands of Albanians have taken part in demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama's government and systemic political reforms.

Activists say the planned development, estimated to cost around 5 billion euros, threatens environmentally sensitive areas near the Vjosa-Narta lagoon and the islands of Sazan and Zvërnec, habitats known for flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said it mobilised its vessels to support, rather than direct, the Albanian protest movement. According to organisers, the boats carried members of the Albanian diaspora and international activists.

In a statement, the flotilla drew connections between what it described as land dispossession in Gaza and large-scale tourism developments in Albania, arguing that both reflect a broader pattern of land grabs, corruption and environmentally damaging investment projects.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international solidarity network that organizes maritime missions carrying humanitarian aid and activists in support of pro-Palestinian causes.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Gaza aid flotilla docks off Albania to support anti-Kushner protests

VIDEO SHOWS: VARIOUS OF GAZA AID FLOTILLA SUPPORTING ANTI-KUSHNER PROTESTS

COMPLETE SCRIPT TO FOLLOW

SHOWS: VLORA, ALBANIA (AUGUST 21, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. THREE BOATS FROM GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA ENTERING THE PORT OF SOUTHERN ALBANIAN TOWN OF VLORA

2. PEOPLE GREETING THE BOATS

3. SUPPORTERS HOLDING FLAMINGO SIGN AND ALBANIAN FLAG

4. VARIOUS OF BOATS AND SUPPORTERS WITH ALBANIAN AND PALESTINIAN FLAGS COMING INTO PORT

5. PEOPLE CHANTING ‘RAMA RESIGN’ AS BOATS COME IN

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN ACTIVIST FROM ITALY, KLARA XHOKAXHIU, SAYING:

“We came here to join the Flamingo Revolution. I think it is our duty to come here and to join a civil movement that is absolutely in its right to claim that their land is for their people. There is no Jared Kushner that can come here and think that they can buy the land expropriated from their own owners and think that they can do whatever they want with this land.”

7. ACTIVISTS GETTING OUT OF THE BOAT

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST, YAZAN EISSA, SAYING:

“We came here to show solidarity and support for the Flamingo Revolution. The Flamingo Revolution represents an action by the grassroots people to stand up when there is corruption, when there is land grabbing, and for them to stand up for themselves. It reminds us a lot of what is happening in Gaza, where the same people that are planning to transform Gaza, dignified Gaza, into the new Rivera, are the same people that have landed on these shores and claimed the land to be theirs. The free people of Albania took a stand and said no.”

9. ACTIVISTS DISEMBARKING

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN ACTIVIST, TONY LA PICCIRELLA, SAYING:

“This piece of land is for everybody, for like the Albanese community, Albanian community, sorry. And so it has to be protected, it has to be for everybody and not just for a little elite of people.”

11. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS ON QUAYSIDE, CHANTING PRO-PALESTINIAN AND ANTI-RAMA SLOGANS