The British singer of Kosovar origin Dua Lipa welcomed the protests in Albania against a tourist complex in which the Trump family is involved, saying that the approach seems “inspirational”, in a podcast broadcast on Tuesday.
Every day since the end of May, demonstrators have taken to the streets in Tirana to protest against the construction, as part of a project managed by one of the daughters of US President Donald Trump, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, of a luxury hotel complex in the area of a nature reserve on the Albanian coast.
In an intervention on her Service95 Book Club podcast alongside the Albanian writer Lea Ypi, Dua Lipa said that she shares the concerns expressed by the demonstrators regarding the transparency of the government related to the approval of this real estate project, according to Agerpres.
“I worry about the principle that the government could simply change the law to circumvent environmental protection measures without any public consultation“, said the 30-year-old pop star, whose parents are Albanians from Kosovo and who is very attached to this region in the Balkans.
“I find it very inspiring to see the extent to which people are involved”she added, referring to the daily protests.
The singer said that the problem is of a structural nature and that it must be acted upon according to a model”supported by the population”.
The project of this tourist complex, valued at 4.6 billion dollars (4 billion euros), was presented for the first time in 2024, but the wave of protests started after the installation, in May, of barbed wire fences and the arrival of bulldozers on one of the beaches targeted by the project.
This movement became a catalyst for anger against government corruption. The protesters also demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The singer’s statements were welcomed by the Albanian environmental activist Besjana Guri, who stated for AFP that she is “a powerful message” to the Albanian government.
“I am convinced that her voice will help draw more international attention to this controversy and will amplify the fears of the people protesting in Tirana.”she told AFP.
