Fact Check: Does the video show an Albanian protest against Jared Kushner-linked project?
ZVERNEC, ALBANIA: Amid controversy surrounding a proposed luxury resort project on an Albanian island backed by President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, a video began circulating on social media platforms claiming to show a massive protest against the development, sparking speculation. Let us fact-check the viral video.
Claim: Video shows a massive crowd protesting against Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner-backed project
The viral video appears to show a massive crowd at a beach in Albania protesting against the $1.4 billion luxury beach resort plan linked to Ivanka and Kushner.
The video has been shared across multiple social media platforms such as X, Facebook, and Instagram, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Reactions to the post indicate that many believe the clip is real, while others question its authenticity, prompting a fact check.
Fact Check: The video shows fans backing a Spanish football club
Although the clip is authentic, it is not related to the ongoing protests in Albania against the project, but a celebration of fans backing the Spanish football club Deportivo La Coruña.
A reverse image search for the clip revealed a clearer version of the clip posted on May 31 to TikTok by a fan of the football club, which shows fans celebrating near the club's stadium in La Coruna, a coastal city in northwestern Spain's Galicia region, after the team secured its return to La Liga, the first division of the Spanish football league system.
The videos and photos available on social media, including on the team's official Instagram account, show the same beachfront scene captured from various angles.
The location in the video was confirmed by matching the stadium and other landmarks to those visible in Google Earth satellite imagery.
Meanwhile, photos from protests in Zvernec showed far fewer people and a different coastline featuring no buildings or roads.
Project faces opposition from environmental organizations and activists
Environmental organizations and activists have continued to challenge the project, arguing that the planned resort could harm one of Albania’s most sensitive ecosystems.
The proposed development site is home to flamingos, more than 200 migratory bird species, Mediterranean monk seals, and sea turtles. Critics have also argued that legal changes adopted in 2024 weakened protections for previously safeguarded areas and enabled tourism construction in environmentally sensitive zones.
According to conservation groups, the project has not undergone a formal environmental impact assessment, and the protesters have also questioned the transparency of the approval process and the government’s handling of development permits.
