Tens of thousands protest toxic waste in Zagreb

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Zagreb on Saturday, September 5, 2026, to demand the Croatian government take urgent action to clean up a massive illegal toxic waste dump near the town of Gospić. The demonstration, one of the largest in Croatia in years, was driven by public anger over the slow pace of remediation and concerns about environmental and health risks from the waste, which includes medical and industrial materials. The protest, dubbed "Walk for Lika," centered on a site near Gospić in the mountainous Lika region, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Zagreb. Authorities and Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, first uncovered the illegal dumping in February 2025, arresting 13 people suspected of importing and disposing of hazardous waste. Investigators said the scheme involved between 34,000 and 37,000 tons of waste, much of it imported from Italy, Slovenia, and Germany, and generated at least 4 million euros in illegal profits through falsified documents. Four companies are also under investigation.