Croatia Sees a Protest Like No Other as Left and Right Take to the Streets Together

Croatia witnessed a protest that organizers and participants had anticipated for weeks, with people from the political left and right marching together through Zagreb. They demanded the right to a healthy life and a healthy environment, focusing on waste buried near Gospić in Lika.

The organizers called on the government to present a complete remediation program within 20 days and urgently remove the 33,000 tons of waste. The article describes the demonstration as one of the most significant Croatia has seen in two decades. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s dismissive comments had added tension before the protest and, according to the report, further encouraged people to attend.

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I have five children and six grandchildren. I want my children to have somewhere to live. They have been robbing us since the war. I look at Velebit from Pag, our jewel. They have been robbing us for 30 years. We are aware of it, and today’s gathering will bring change.

The crowd included figures such as Severina, Rade Šerbedžija and Miro Bulj, as well as people wearing shirts associated with Operation Storm, the Croatian Defence Council and heavy metal bands. Flags and banners came from Istria, Zagorje, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Banovina and Lika. Messages included “Water is life,” “We are not a landfill,” and “Nature screams, garbage stays silent.”

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This is the least we could do for Lika: come to Zagreb today. To walk together, all of Croatia, so that the people of Lika and Lika itself are not underestimated, and so that the hazardous waste brought near Gospić, as well as to some other parts of Lika, is removed and cleaned up as soon as possible.

One banner carried by the organizers declared, “Lika will never forgive you for betraying it.” Vesna Čavić, a protester from Pag, said she has five children and six grandchildren and wants them to have a place to live. She accused authorities of exploiting the region for 30 years and said the demonstration could bring change.

Otočac Mayor Goran Bukovac said attending the protest was the least people could do for Lika. SDP lawmaker Ivana Marković said protesters would not allow laws liberalizing waste imports to poison Croatia. The article also notes that the protest drew participants from across the country, united by the waste issue despite their differences.

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Above all, our message is that we will not allow laws that liberalized waste imports to poison Croatia, to poison all of us.