One of the largest protests Croatia has seen in decades brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets of Zagreb on Saturday, as demonstrators demanded the government take urgent action over a major illegal waste dumping scandal. Marching under the banner "Walk for Lika," protesters called for the swift removal of between 34,000 and 37,000 tonnes of toxic waste that has been sitting on an abandoned industrial site near the city of Gospić, in the mountainous Lika region of central Croatia.
The waste — which includes medical refuse, electronic equipment, plastics, construction materials and other industrial debris — was discovered in early 2024 and is largely believed to have been imported illegally from Italy in 2023 and 2024. Thirteen people have been arrested in connection with the illegal importation and dumping, with Europol estimating they earned at least four million euros from the scheme. Yet more than a year on, the site has not been cleaned up. Independent laboratories have detected PFAS — so-called "forever chemicals" — as well as heavy metals in the groundwater and drinking water of the area, raising fears of long-term health consequences for local residents. Croatia's national health authority has disputed these findings, insisting the water supply is safe.
Lika, a sparsely populated karst landscape known for its pristine natural areas — including the internationally celebrated Plitvice Lakes — has struggled to attract people back since the violent displacement of communities during Croatia's 1990s war of independence. Protesters carried banners reading "The lungs of Croatia can no longer breathe," "Stop the destruction of Croatia" and "Lika will never forgive you this betrayal." Demonstrators presented the government with seven demands, including a remediation plan within 20 days, full removal of the hazardous waste within three months, a temporary ban on waste imports, prosecution of those responsible and clear political accountability.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković visited Gospić earlier in the week and announced that a contractor had been selected for the first phase of the clean-up. He has also suggested that public concern over the health risks is exaggerated. That position has drawn sharp criticism from residents and environmental groups alike. "The site should have been cleaned up long ago," said Verica Jurnjak, who travelled from Gospić to join the march. "It is a disgrace that nobody cares about our children and their future." Around 200 public figures from the arts, culture and science signed a declaration supporting the protest, among them internationally known Croatian actor Rade Šerbedžija, best known abroad for roles in films such as Snatch and Mission: Impossible II.
The scale of Saturday's demonstration reflects a growing determination to push what began as a regional grievance into a matter of national concern. Organisers and participants have made clear they intend to keep up the pressure until the site is fully remediated, with some calling for monthly protests until the waste is gone. For many in attendance, the scandal has come to symbolise something broader: the sense that remote, less-populated parts of Croatia are treated as expendable by those in power.