Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
In this conversation with Malik Ayub Sumbal on Eastern Horizon, I discuss what's become known as the Flamingo Revolution in Albania; mass, sustained protests against a Trump-family-linked development scheme that threatens the Vjosa-Narta area, including one of Europe's last wild rivers and a wetland reserve that hosts hundreds of bird species, among them flamingos, along with more than 70 endangered species. I talk about why this protest is succeeding where so many fail: it's not a one-day march but a sustained, day-after-day presence on the streets, much like the Extinction Rebellion protests I helped launch in the UK back in 2019. Sustained, dignified, courageous action is what makes politicians unable to look away.
I also explore why this matters far beyond Albania. What we're seeing is a clear pattern: the rich and super-rich, often working hand in hand with oligarchic political power, are trying to buy up and devastate the world's most beautiful places for their own gain. The Flamingo Revolution is a powerful act of resistance to that pattern and a moving demonstration that ordinary people are willing to put nature, and creatures who have no voice of their own, ahead of money and power.
I argue that the international solidarity now building around these protesters, including signs of support from the European Parliament, matters enormously. Albania is a small country, but it's speaking to the whole world. If this movement succeeds, even partially, it sends a message that the same kind of stand can and should be taken elsewhere; that people everywhere can stand up against corrupt politicians and for the animals and ecosystems that cannot speak up for themselves.
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Edited excerpt courtesy of Malik Ayub Sumbal & Eastern Horizon, watch full video here youtube.com/watch?v=SEmFBbT60Ds
In this conversation with Malik Ayub Sumbal on Eastern Horizon, I discuss what's become known as the Flamingo Revolution in Albania; mass, sustained protests against a Trump-family-linked development scheme that threatens the Vjosa-Narta area, including one of Europe's last wild rivers and a wetland reserve that hosts hundreds of bird species, among them flamingos, along with more than 70 endangered species. I talk about why this protest is succeeding where so many fail: it's not a one-day march but a sustained, day-after-day presence on the streets, much like the Extinction Rebellion protests I helped launch in the UK back in 2019. Sustained, dignified, courageous action is what makes politicians unable to look away.
I also explore why this matters far beyond Albania. What we're seeing is a clear pattern: the rich and super-rich, often working hand in hand with oligarchic political power, are trying to buy up and devastate the world's most beautiful places for their own gain. The Flamingo Revolution is a powerful act of resistance to that pattern and a moving demonstration that ordinary people are willing to put nature, and creatures who have no voice of their own, ahead of money and power.
I argue that the international solidarity now building around these protesters, including signs of support from the European Parliament, matters enormously. Albania is a small country, but it's speaking to the whole world. If this movement succeeds, even partially, it sends a message that the same kind of stand can and should be taken elsewhere; that people everywhere can stand up against corrupt politicians and for the animals and ecosystems that cannot speak up for themselves.
RupertRead.net
RupertRead.substack.com
twitter.com/GreenRupertRead
https://bsky.app/profile/rupertread.bsky.social
instagram.com/RupertRead
tiktok.com/@GreenRupertRead
facebook.com/GreenRupertRead
Edited excerpt courtesy of Malik Ayub Sumbal & Eastern Horizon, watch full video here youtube.com/watch?v=SEmFBbT60Ds
