Dua Lipa has thrown her support behind Albania’s “Flamingo Revolution”, praising protesters fighting a vast, Trump family-linked development on some of the country’s most environmentally sensitive land.
The British pop star, who has Kosovo Albanian heritage, described the movement as “inspiring” during a conversation with Albanian academic and author Lea Ypi for her Service95 book club podcast.
“I find it so inspiring to see how much people really care,” Lipa said as the demonstrations entered their sixth week.
Her intervention has renewed global attention on a movement that Albania’s government has struggled to dismiss or contain as protests enter their 46th day.
The protests erupted over plans for luxury developments on Sazan Island and the Zvernec peninsula, near the protected Vjosa-Narta landscape.
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Trump’s son-in law Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, is leading the $1.6bn project, which includes plans for about 10,000 rooms along a largely undeveloped stretch of Adriatic coastline.
The wetlands provide habitats for flamingos, seals, sea turtles and migratory birds.
Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government cleared a path for the development after parliament amended Albania’s protected-areas legislation in 2024, weakening restrictions on construction in environmentally sensitive zones.
The government later granted the developer strategic investor status, offering access to accelerated approval procedures.
Lipa targeted the secrecy surrounding that process.
“What I actually find concerning is the principle that the government could just change the law to remove the environmental protection without any kind of public consultation,” she said.
Rama has called the investment “a gift to Europe” and “a blessing”, while refusing to halt the project despite weeks of demonstrations. He previously declared: “There is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here.”
Online users have welcomed Dua Lipa’s contribution to the debate, with one saying: “Dua Lipa really does shatter the imaginary belief that once someone attains a certain level of superstardom, they can’t talk about current events anymore because it’s ‘too complicated’.”
Another added: “Dua Lipa is proof that celebrities can comfortably talk about politics openly on their platforms whether it’s about ICE, Trump, the genocide in Palestine or the rise of right wing and AI threats which means so many artists simply don’t care enough to say anything.”
