Dua Lipa: The singer takes a stand.Image: www.imago-images.de
There are protests in Albania against Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, who plan to build a luxury hotel in a nature reserve there. Now the demonstrators are receiving prominent support.
July 15, 2026, 10:20July 15, 2026, 10:20
British singer Dua Lipa supports the protests in Albaniawho are against a planned luxury construction project by the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump in a nature reserve. She finds it “concerning” when a government can “simply change a law to circumvent environmental protection regulations,” said the 30-year-old in the “Service95 Book Club” podcast on Tuesday.
“I find it so inspiring to see how much people care about the cause,” the musician continued, referring to the protest movement. The country’s economy must be built in such a way “that it benefits the people,” emphasized Dua Lipa, whose parents are from the Kosovo originate.
Luxury hotel in a nature reserve
The protests were sparked by plans to build a luxury hotel in the Zvernec nature reserve on the southwest coast of Albania, which is home to the US President’s daughter, Ivanka Trumpand her husband Jared Kushner is connected. The construction project was presented as early as 2024. The protests against the tourism complex began when barbed wire and bulldozers appeared on beaches in Zvernec at the end of May.
The plan also calls for the conversion of the previously uninhabited island of Sazan – once a secret communist military base – into a glamorous holiday resort. The Vjosa-Narta lagoon on the southern Adriatic coast is an important resting area for migratory birds and flamingos. Thousands of demonstrators have been taking to the streets in the capital Tirana in the evenings for weeks.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has now also become the focus of the protesters. The Albanian government has been trying to improve the economy for a long time tourism to boost. US President Trump’s family has invested in many luxury projects around the world. Critics accuse not only Trump’s sons, but also Kushner and his wife of using Trump’s presidency for their own business.