Jared Kushner supported by the comfort zone supported by days of protests in Albania

TIRANA, Albania – Protesters protested the development of a multi-billion dollar resort in Albania linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump for the seventh day in a row on Saturday.

Activists have dubbed it the “Flamingo Revolution,” using the pink flamingo as a symbol of the wildlife they say will be destroyed if the project goes ahead.

President Trump's son-in-law is among a group of investors planning to turn Sazan Island — a former secret Communist military base off Albania's Adriatic coast — into a luxury resort. Hotels are also planned by investors in the surrounding areas of the Vjosa-Narta protected area, which environmentalists say is rich in wildlife, including flamingo habitats.

Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of Mr. Trump talked about her and her husband's plans for a luxury resort while speaking on the “Founders” podcast last month.

“I'm working on an amazing project with my husband in the Mediterranean,” she said, before saying that she and Kushner “discovered” the island while sailing with friends.

“We swam to the island, we walked, barefoot, until we got to the top, and we just fell in love,” she said.

Anger escalated last month when diggers and bulldozers moved into the area. Images of activists being dragged away from development spread, fueling public opposition.

Thousands have filled the streets of the country's capital every night since the incident and activists told CBS News that the lack of transparency from the Albanian government — about the operation and broader issues related to alleged corruption — is at the heart of public anger.

“There was no public consultation,” Aleksandr Trajce, executive director of the leading conservation group Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania, told CBS News on Friday. “No one was notified. In just one day, we saw tractors coming in and opening roads, cutting down trees, destroying mounds and so on. So the public didn't know anything.”

“The government later revealed that there is a development permit, but in reality no one has seen it, and they have never disclosed that development permit to the public,” he said.

Rama's socialist administration has been subject to allegations of corruption since charges were filed late last year against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is close to Rama. The country's parliament, led by a majority of socialists, has however blocked his arrest.

Earlier this week, SPAK, Albania's anti-corruption prosecution office, opened an investigation into the project, according to a local media report.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has led the country since 2013, has insisted the project will continue despite mounting public pressure and has championed the development as a potential economic benefit for the country, which has the lowest GDP per capita in Europe.

“It is very important that we remain welcoming, we remain fair, and under no circumstances can we get the shame of being a country where investors are met with hostility,” he said in a statement shared with Reuters. “There is absolutely no chance that investment will stop as long as I am here.”

CBS News accompanied protesters Saturday to the Zvërnec area on Albania's southern coast, where further development is planned. There were no traces of tractors or construction materials left in the area beyond the tire tracks along the beach.

Protesters attributed that to the Albanian government's attempt to quell public anger over the project but also told CBS News that the planning stages of the development had already caused environmental damage.

PPNEA's local environmental officer told CBS News that the group was able to arrange the destruction of at least one sea turtle nest in the area due to the bulldozer.

A representative for Sazan Real Estate Development LLC and its investors, including Kushner, told CBS News that the company is “excited about the opportunity to build a world-class property and make one of the largest private equity investments in the region's history.”

“Our focus is on sustainable management, environmental improvement, job creation, and long-term value creation in local communities. We respect ongoing social and institutional processes, and are ready to move forward as they happen,” said the company's CEO, Asher Abehsera, in a statement sent to CBS News on Friday.

But protesters in Albania continue to reject the plans.

“It's not that I don't want this country to grow and become known around the world, and have a lot of tourists,” said one young woman who told CBS News in Tirana on Friday evening.

“But it's not the best place because that place is part of UNESCO and I don't want flamingos or any kind of animals to be destroyed from their homes,” he said.