Protest in Gospić: Accusations Against Authorities Over Waste in Lika
Several hundred people gathered at a protest against hazardous waste in Lika, with political actors from across the spectrum sending sharp messages to the authorities.
Several hundred people gathered at a protest against hazardous waste in Lika, with political actors from across the spectrum sending sharp messages to the authorities.
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, a protest against the hazardous waste problem in Lika was held at Stjepan Radić Square in Gospić, where Dalija Orešković, Karolina Vidović Krišto, and Tomislav Jonjić stood shoulder to shoulder. Ahead of the session of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Nature Protection, the association 'Gospić Without Poison' and Mile Ilić organized the gathering.
Protesters gathered under slogans such as 'They betrayed Lika and draped it in black', 'They poisoned the water, soil, and air', and 'If we save Lika, we save Croatia'. Mile Ilić, the organizer, said the authorities lack legitimacy and that institutions have fallen, while Tomislav Jonjić mentioned a 'double tragedy' and the collapse of the system, attempting to link the local issue to the cities of Zagreb, Varaždin, Split, and Slavonski Brod.
Dalija Orešković emphasized that politicians will leave while citizens remain with the poison, citing Rakitovac as an example, whose remediation costs 125 million euros. Karolina Vidović Krišto went a step further, calling the management of the state 'high treason' and demanding the complete removal of the government.
Although the protest stage spoke of chaos and institutional inaction, state bodies are already taking measures. According to USKOK's expert assessment from August 6, 2026, there are approximately 37,000 tons of mixed waste in the area of the former PPK Velebit, and legal proceedings have been initiated.
Due to major fires in Dalmatia, the session of the Parliamentary Committee in Gospić was previously postponed. Despite the dramatic rhetoric, only a few hundred people attended the protest.
Hrvatski glasnik recalls the words of the first Croatian president, Dr. Franjo Tuđman, about 'red, yellow, and black devils', suggesting that this unusual alliance can be recognized as precisely such a political amalgam. The hazardous waste problem in Lika requires serious action and answers from the competent institutions, but turning this issue into a political stage, with an alliance of actors from completely different parts of the political spectrum, can hardly be called concern for Lika.
