Protesters, police clash in Albania over Trump-linked project

Police in the Albanian capital, Tirana, clashed with protesters and blocked them from reaching parliament as the latest rally against a luxury development linked to US President Donald Trump's family turned violent.

Key points

• Tuesday's march came as parliament resumed after summer recess and one day after the demonstrations marked their 100th day.
• The nightly Tirana protests initially only focused on the development, but have since grown into a major challenge to the country's long-governing Socialist Party.
• Dubbed the "flamingo revolution" for protesters' signs depicting the pink bird that could be harmed by the coastal development, the antigovernment protests have rocked Albania.
• Preliminary work has already caused irreparable damage to a once-pristine stretch of Albania's coast, destroying the nesting sites of both birds and loggerhead turtles.
• Prime Minister Edi Rama, a target of the demonstrations, strongly supports the investment project, arguing that it would support modernise a country that spent decades in communist isolation.

Tuesday's march came as parliament resumed after summer recess and one day after the demonstrations marked their 100th day. Demonstrators challenged a police cordon in the centre of the capital, pelting officers in riot gear with eggs and tomatoes.

Since late May, angry Albanians have rallied against the planned construction of a vast luxury hotel in a coastal nature reserve, a project linked to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner.

Cars transporting lawmakers to the parliament building were confronted by the crowds and hit with plastic water bottles before police intervened to let them through.

Preliminary work has already caused irreparable damage to a once-pristine stretch of Albania's coast, destroying the nesting sites of both birds and loggerhead turtles. It are threatened with extinction, scientists and activists say.

Although Albanian authorities have avoided giving details of Kushner's role in the project, Ivanka Trump has spoken concerning her family's involvement in the venture, describing it as an "incredible project".

Critics say the project would additionally limit public access to the coast.

Meanwhile, the nightly Tirana protests initially only focused on the development, but have since grown into a major challenge to the country's long-governing Socialist Party.

As police escorted lawmakers to and from the parliament building, demonstrators chanted "Arrest Rama!" during the clashes.

In practice, a number of protesters were detained, but it was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been produced.

Taken together, the developments around protesters, police clash in Albania over Trump point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.