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Pro-Gaza flotilla sails from Italy to Albania in support of the “Flamingo Revolution”

2026-08-20 17:01:40Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Pro-Gaza flotilla sails from Italy to Albania in support of the “Flamingo
Illustrative photo

Thirty-five years ago, in August 1991, the merchant ship “Vlora” crossed the Adriatic with some 20,000 Albanians on board, fleeing economic collapse and misery. It was one of the largest landings in Italian history.

Today, another type of fleet is preparing to make the same journey in the opposite direction. On August 20, a small flotilla of three sailboats will set off from the port of Brindisi towards the Albanian coast, to protest against the alienation of public property and protected areas in Vlora.

Baptized as a joint initiative of the Italian-Albanian collective "Mesdhe", the Albanian collective "Free Palestine" and the Italian branch of the "Global Sumud Flotilla" initiative, this movement comes in support of the "Flamingo Revolution".

For more than two months, thousands of Albanian citizens have been protesting against the Albanian government's plans to give the island of Sazan and the protected area of ​​Zvërnec to investors for the construction of luxury resorts – a movement that has since expanded to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The controversial investment is linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, who also has a controversial role as a negotiator of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Kushner also promoted a White House plan in January this year to turn Gaza, a city devastated by bombing that has killed thousands of civilians, into a commercial and technological hub. According to activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, this would serve to facilitate population displacement and the erasure of Palestinian culture.

For activists, this dimension turns sailing into a bridge connecting the resistance in Gaza, the struggles against similar plans on the Puglia coast, and the “Flamingo Revolution” in Albania, treating them as a single front facing the same global forces.

“These are projects of a global elite and the same scheme is being used all over the world, where this elite is plundering property and stripping people of their rights and culture,” Tony La Piccirella, part of the international coordinating team of the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” told BIRN.

Solidarity and symbolism

The fleet leaving for Albania on Friday is not large. According to organizers, there are three sailing ships and 30 people. Another group, mainly second-generation Albanian immigrants, will travel by ferry to Vlora.

Before the departure, the organizers have planned an event with music and speeches in Bari.

The plan is for the flotilla to first visit Sazan, also included in Kushner's resort projects, but that's if the weather permits. Then, the ships will anchor in Vlora. On Saturday morning, August 22, the ships will sail to Dajlani Beach, anchor in the bay, and activists will hold a symbolic protest.

The initiative is organized by groups with different backgrounds, but who share the common cause of fighting inequality.

The Italian-Albanian collective “Mesdhe” represents diaspora activists who aim to preserve the historical memory of immigration and protect communities, while “Free Palestine” is made up of Albanian activists who promote solidarity with Palestine. They have been joined by the Italian branch of the “Global Sumud Flotilla”, a civil society initiative originally created to break the naval blockade of Gaza.

For La Piccirella, who is from Pula, the connection is clear and strong due to the long history between Bari, Vlora and Albania.

“As a police force, we are following what is happening, people are talking in cafes, on the streets and are inspired by you and we want to support you, because we are historically connected and we want to learn from you how to defend our country,” he says.

Solidarity, he says, also comes as a response to common threats. La Piccirella points out that a similar development project is being planned in Ostuni, the so-called “gateway to the Adriatic” in Puglia, right across from Sassanid. According to him, the construction of luxury resorts “is happening in many places” and has similarities to the projects in Vlora.

Beyond these issues, he sees the initiative as a form of civic solidarity with Albania and Albanians. “The initiative is also a form of solidarity with Albania, to show that there is a stronger than institutional connection between the Rama government and that of Giorgia Meloni,” he added.

Baki Goxhaj, a participant in the last flotilla voyage to Gaza and local coordinator for the initiative, emphasizes the historical significance of this journey, according to him.

"They are departing from the same port where the ship 'Vlora' anchored…," Goxhaj emphasizes, adding that the journey after 35 years carries a strong message.

"In a way, the symbolism here is that with this return they are ending the transition along with the Flamingo Revolution," Goxhaj said.

This flotilla is not just a means of transport, but a large protest delegation that aims to unite the two sides of the sea. Goxhaj explains that the essence of the trip is solidarity. “Italian activists and ordinary Italian citizens are coming, Italian journalists are coming. Children of the Albanian diaspora are coming, children of families or people who fled in '91,” he adds.

The connection between the former sacrifice of immigrants and today's dispossession is clearly emphasized in the initiative's announcement posted on social media.

"In 2026, while the Albanian people are in revolt..., from Bari we want to set off towards Vlora as an organized diaspora. Because the same corruption that has forced so many people to leave, today is selling our coasts, islands, lagoons and future," the announcement published online states.

Despite the symbolism of the flotilla, both Goxhaj and La Piccirella emphasize the importance of focusing exclusively on the citizen protest in Albania, to avoid any deviation or misuse by the government that could harm the citizen revolt.

"We thought it was an important symbolism. It's not our protest, we don't want to bother anyone, but we want to be there to support each other," concluded La Piccirella./ BIRN


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