Why are academics silent before Saturday’s nationwide protest in Zagreb?

As protesters prepare to gather in Zagreb on Saturday under the slogan “Walk for Lika, Walk for Croatia,” the article asks why Croatia’s leading academics have remained silent.

The protest, organized by the civic initiative “Gospić Is Our Home,” will bring people from across the country to oppose what organizers describe as the poisoning of residents and nature with tons of hazardous waste allegedly dumped illegally over many years.

The article focuses on the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, or HAZU. It notes that 12 of the academy’s 19 scientific councils could speak on the issue, which the article describes as a threat to human health, lives and the country’s natural resources. Because HAZU holds a major social role and carries what the article calls a moral responsibility, it questions why the academy has not issued a clear statement before the protest.

HAZU has addressed related environmental concerns. Its Nature and Environmental Protection Council published a statement on Aug. 17 titled “Waste Disposal and Environmental Threats: Remedy the Consequences and Remove the Causes.” The academy’s presidency also published proposed measures to protect water from pollutants on Jan. 29, 2025.

Earlier, on June 26, 2024, the presidency unanimously adopted a statement proposed by the academy’s Natural Sciences Department on preventing possible harmful effects on soil and water from waste-management companies operating within the circular economy. The article argues that these measures have not given frightened and desperate residents the public support they are seeking before Saturday’s demonstration.