Rama says resort protest numbers were exaggerated

Prime Minister Edi Rama says online debate and international coverage have exaggerated the scale of protests against a planned luxury resort on Albania’s coast.

In a post on X addressed to CNN and other media, Rama said the latest protest in Tirana drew about 2,000 people and had never passed 8,000 at its peak.

He said there was still no final project and no construction permit for the disputed development near Zvërnec.

Rama said environmental concerns were legitimate, but argued that speculation had often been treated as fact.

He also pointed to fake images, deepfakes and anonymous accounts as signs that the debate had been artificially amplified.