All of Croatia Walks for Lika as Protesters Demand Government Action

The protest movement "Walk for Lika, Walk for Croatia" brought its demands over buried hazardous waste to central Zagreb on Saturday, with organizers calling for firm deadlines and a broader overhaul of waste management.

Participants were scheduled to gather at 11 a.m. at King Tomislav Square before walking to Ban Josip Jelačić Square. The march responds to a controversy involving dangerous waste in the Gospić area. The civic initiative Gospić Is Our Home said it would formally present its demands at the final square.

The initiative wants the government to publish a complete remediation program within 20 days, with clear and binding deadlines. It also wants 33,000 tonnes of buried waste removed within three months. The Rakitovac municipal landfill should be included in the national waste-management plan, the group said, while independent experts should prepare a comprehensive long-term monitoring plan and carry out an independent risk assessment.

The demands extend beyond the Gospić site. The initiative called for collective protection to be introduced into Croatia's Environmental Protection Act and for all known environmental "black spots" to be included in the waste-management plan. Each site, it said, should receive clear deadlines and secured funding for remediation. It also called for an immediate temporary ban on waste imports until further notice.

Zagreb police said they would make audiovisual recordings at the gathering point, along the march route and on access roads. Organizers asked people arriving by bus from other cities to avoid Zagreb's main railway station to reduce traffic congestion, suggesting drop-off near the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. They urged participants to protect one another and remain proud and dignified throughout the protest.

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Once again, we call on all participants to look after one another, to be proud and dignified in every step and every moment of this protest. We have this moment in which we can start something and show that people stand with people