Tens of thousands of citizens gathered at a protest in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, on Sunday over a scandal involving the illegal dumping of at least 30,000 tons of waste, some of which was hazardous. The rally of outraged citizens, who presented seven demands, took place around noon.
The event organizer, the Gospić is Our Home initiative, posted a video on social media showing large numbers of protesters arriving at Zagreb’s main square from surrounding streets.
“If they ask you how many of us were there – All of us!!!,” the initiative stressed.
The illegal dumping and burial of waste across Croatia is a scandal that has sparked immense public outrage. Beyond the Gospić municipality, where official data show that over 30,000 tons have been dumped, investigation reports indicate similar activities in areas around Zadar, Šibenik, Kistanje, Drniš, Benkovac, and Pađene.
An inadequate government response has further angered citizens
The information was confirmed by relevant state authorities – the Police National Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (PNUSKOK), the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK), and the State Inspectorate of the Republic of Croatia.
To date, authorities have made several arrests, filed criminal charges, and launched unscheduled inspection procedures. Official estimates of the exact waste quantities for towns and municipalities other than Gospić are still being determined.
However, this is insufficient for citizens.
Seven demands
Seven demands were issued at the rally.
For Gospić:
- Present the full remediation plan to the public with binding deadlines – deadline: 20 days.
- Urgent removal of 33,000 tons of buried hazardous waste – deadline: three months.
- Include the Rakitovac municipal landfill in the waste management plan.
- Long-term comprehensive monitoring, including hiring independent experts to draft a comprehensive long-term monitoring plan and an independent risk assessment.
For Croatia:
- Introduce collective protection mechanisms into the environmental protection law.
- Include all known environmental “blackspots” in the waste management plan with clear deadlines and financial frameworks.
- Temporarily ban waste imports until further notice – taking effect immediately.
Representatives of civic initiatives and environmental organizations spoke at the rally.
Bušić: We are not all the same; we are all different here
Vladimir Šulentić, from the Gospić is Our Home initiative, opened the rally at Ban Jelačić Square by listing locations with improperly disposed waste, telling the crowd that this was their harsh reality, Jutarnji list reported.
Željka Šikić, a Gospić resident living just 50 meters from the silos where waste was buried, said that she feared for her family’s health and her daily life in the immediate vicinity of hazardous waste.
“Our fates are unique; our fate was cruelly sealed. Our home was forged with blood, lives, and health, only to be covered in tons of hazardous waste. Our future could have been full of life, laughter, and joy,” she highlighted, Večernji list reported.
According to Vjekoslav Bušić, from the Gospić is Our Home initiative, the authorities are guilty of being silent.
The authorities are guilty of being silent
They acted like traitors who knew what was in the ground for two and a half years, he said, demanding accountability for all blackspots in Croatia.
“We are not all the same, we are all different here, but we gathered because we are connected by something far greater than our differences: the right to a healthy life, the right to clean air, the right to clean soil and clean water, and the right to our homeland as we dreamed it,” Bušić said, according to Večernji list.
Over 200 public figures and organizations supported the protest. The protest was also attended by singers Severina Vučković and Nina Badrić, author Damir Karakaš, and actor Rade Šerbedžija, local media reported.
