How the Flamingo Became a Potent Protest Symbol
Article excerpt
It’s not unusual for a protest movement to involve absurd-looking symbols. Unions deploy giant rat inflatables to picket companies using non-union labor, people at “No Kings” protests don puffy frog or dinosaur costumes, and Gen Z protesters worldwide can be seen waving a cartoon pirate flag from the show One Piece to symbolize anti-authoritarianism. In […]
It’s not unusual for a protest movement to involve absurd-looking symbols. Unions deploy giant rat inflatables to picket companies using non-union labor, people at “No Kings” protests don puffy frog or dinosaur costumes, and Gen Z protesters worldwide can be seen waving a cartoon pirate flag from the show One Piece to symbolize anti-authoritarianism.
In Albania, the latest image of popular revolt against billionaire excess is the flamingo. For the past week, Albanians have protested Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner’s plan to pave a protected nature reserve and turn it into a luxury resort, a plan which, protesters say, could put the pink birds in jeopardy. Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, told Reuters Monday that he plans to continue backing the project.
The Kushners first encountered the island of Sazan, a former military base off Albania’s coast, back in 2021. While on a yacht trip, Ivanka Trump saw Sazan, and reportedly became convinced she would be able to “help realize its potential.” Now, Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, is spending $1.6 billion to construct an “eco-resort” on Sazan and the nearby Vjosa-Narta lagoon. Environmentalists, however, aren’t sure how eco-friendly the resort will be. Thousands of protesters across Albania have rallied for days, waving cardboard and inflatable flamingos while clashing with police.
Ornithologist Ledi Selgjekaj told Reuters that more than 1 percent of the global population of flamingos is in Albania.
“Of course, it’s very important to have investments in the country. It’s very important for the economy, but you have to choose very wisely where to build it. There is a reason why this area is called a protected area,” she told Reuters.
BirdLife International, a global bird conservation NGO, has come out against the project.
“A protected landscape of global importance is under attack, and people are demanding an end to the devastation,” said Anouk Puymartin of BirdLife International in a statement. “Nature belongs to everyone, not a handful of investors.”