Ćaciland Protest Camp

The name is derived from ćaci. In January 2025, an unknown person spray-painted "Ćaci u školu" on the entrance of the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium in Novi Sad, misspelling the slogan Đaci u školu ("Pupils, back to school"). The misspelling spread on social media, and protesters began to call supporters of the government ćaci, mocking their supposed lack of education. Ćacilend therefore means "land of the ćaci".^[7][8]

Background#edit

On 1 November 2024, the concrete canopy of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed, eventually killing 16 people. The disaster triggered mass protests led by university students, who blocked faculties across Serbia; secondary school students later joined the blockades.^[9][10]

Establishment#edit

On the evening of 6 March 2025, several dozen members of the newly founded "Students 2.0" movement, which opposed the faculty blockades, set up tents in Pionirski Park, saying that they would stay until their demands were met. These included a plan for making up missed classes, a return to classes by 17 March, more exam periods and a moratorium on student loans; Miloš Pavlović, a student at the Faculty of Medicine, spoke on the group's behalf.^[1][11] The camp was set up nine days before the protest of 15 March 2025, one of the largest in the country's history.^[12] Independent media and the opposition described the camp as organised by the SNS, and reported that some of its residents were not students.^[13][14]

Although the park is under state protection, it was fenced off, and during the protest of 15 March it was also surrounded by tractors; only registered persons were allowed to enter, and the area was guarded by the camp's residents and the police.^[15] Students of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade warned that the camp endangered the park's protected plant species, including sweet chestnut, ginkgo and English oak, and violated almost all provisions of the decision on its protection.^[16]

Expansion and incidents#edit

In April 2025, ahead of a government rally addressed by Vučić, the camp spread to Nikola Pašić Square, blocking traffic in front of the National Assembly; fences and concrete barriers were later placed at the surrounding intersections, with booths that required accreditation to pass.^[3][17] Over the following months, activists, politicians and journalists were attacked in the area; according to media, opposition parties, civil society and students, the attackers were often people with criminal records who stayed at the camp.^[3] In March 2025, Nemanja Šarović was attacked near the park while filming the tractors.^[18]

In its resolution of 22 October 2025, the European Parliament referred to the "illegal encampment in Pionirski park" and expressed grave concern "about multiple reports of individuals with criminal backgrounds being mobilised by the ruling party in counter-protest activities, attacking protesters with pyrotechnics, further escalating tensions, violence and polarisation in the country".^[5] On the same day, a 70-year-old man shot and wounded a resident of the camp in a tent after an argument over political views; a bullet hit a gas cylinder, and the tent burned down. Vučić called the shooting a "terrible terrorist attack", while the prosecution charged the suspect with attempted murder.^[19][20]

Reduction#edit

In late December 2025, Vučić visited the camp and thanked its residents for having "guarded and defended Serbia", announcing that the part in the street would be removed while the part in the park would remain for some time. The street between the National Assembly and the park was cleared shortly before New Year, and traffic was restored on 4 January 2026.^[3] By September 2026, only around ten large tents remained in the park; journalists found six people inside and were refused entry, with the police saying that a public gathering was still being held there.^[3][21] In October 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not answer questions about who had registered the gathering and how long it would last.^[22]

Dismantling#edit

On the evening of the parliamentary election on 25 October 2026, shortly after Vučić conceded defeat, several hundred citizens celebrating the victory of the Student List removed the fence on the side facing the National Assembly, entered the park and tore down the tents. The residents of the camp had left beforehand, and the Gendarmery, which had been stationed near the park during the evening, did not intervene.^[6][23] The day after, cleaning efforts were organised by citizen movements and communal services, and the park was mostly restored to its pre-Ćacilend state.^[24]

Threats of lawsuits against media#edit

In May 2025, letters signed in the name of "Students Who Want to Study" were sent to several independent media outlets, announcing SLAPP lawsuits and criminal complaints over "baseless, tendentious and offensive comments" about Vučić, the SNS and the association, which they described as defamation.^[25][26] According to N1, the letters used official state symbols, and lawyers described the threats as vague, as they did not specify which reports were considered defamatory.^[25]

The letters named three influencers, Aleksandar "Cile ST" Leštarić, Danica Manojlović and Luka Lekić, as "Meta advisers" who were allegedly planning to have the social media accounts of independent media suspended.^[14][27] All three said that the claims had "no basis in truth" and that their names had been misused in retaliation for their support for the protests.^[27][25] According to Raskrikavanje, the SNS and "Students Who Want to Study" also distanced themselves from the letters.^[27]

Attacks on journalists#edit

According to the media freedom website Cenzolovka, journalists were repeatedly attacked in and around the camp, often in the presence of police officers who did not intervene. Reporters from KTV, FoNet, Insajder and N1, as well as a YouTuber, were threatened, physically assaulted or prevented from reporting. Lawyers and former police officials quoted by Cenzolovka said that the authorities' inaction contributed to a climate of impunity.^[4]

Student protesters, citizens and local assemblies of Belgrade residents criticised the camp, and several protests were held demanding its removal; its legality was also questioned.^[28] Analysts quoted by Danas described it as an attempt to intimidate students and citizens and as the "last line of defence of the regime".^[13] The authorities and their supporters, on the other hand, regarded "Students 2.0" as legitimate. Vučić called Ćacilend "a symbol of resistance" and the only place in the country where "those who think differently" could gather.^[29]

• 2024–present Serbian anti-corruption protests
• Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse
• 2025 Belgrade stampede
• Ćaci u školu
• Pioneers Park, Belgrade

1. ^ a b "Blizu predsedništva: Studenti 2.0 kampuju u Pionirskom parku, traže povratak na nastavu" [Near the Presidency: Students 2.0 camp in Pionirski Park, demanding a return to classes]. 021.rs (in Serbian). 6 March 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
2. ^ "„Студенти 2.0": Против блокада факултета, кампују испред Председништва Србије" ["Students 2.0": Against the faculty blockades, they are camping in front of the Presidency of Serbia]. BBC News na srpskom (in Serbian). 7 March 2025. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
3. ^ a b c d e f "Godinu i po dana Ćacilenda" [A year and a half of Ćacilend]. Nova (in Serbian). Beta. 6 September 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
4. ^ a b Gunjić, Perica (6 November 2025). "Ćacilend, zona srpskog sumraka: Prebijanje novinara pred očima policije" [Ćacilend, the Serbian twilight zone: Journalists beaten in front of the police]. Cenzolovka (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
5. ^ a b "Resolution on the polarisation and increased repression in Serbia, one year after the Novi Sad tragedy". Legislative Observatory. European Parliament. 22 October 2025. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
6. ^ a b "VIDEO: Ćacilend je pao" [VIDEO: Ćacilend has fallen]. 021.rs (in Serbian). 25 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
7. ^ "Ko je 'Ćaci' i kakve veze ima sa studentskim protestima u Srbiji" [Who is 'Ćaci' and what does it have to do with the student protests in Serbia]. BBC News na srpskom (in Serbian). 23 January 2025. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
8. ^ "Šta je Ćacilend?" [What is Ćacilend?]. Beogradske vesti (in Serbian). 21 March 2025. Archived from the original on 12 November 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
9. ^ "Fourteen dead in Novi Sad, Serbia railway station canopy collapse". BBC News. 1 November 2024. Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
10. ^ "„Njujork tajms": Incident u Ćacilendu podstakao tenzije uoči obeležavanja 1. novembra" [The New York Times: Incident in Ćacilend fuelled tensions ahead of the 1 November commemoration]. Vreme (in Serbian). 24 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
11. ^ "Studenti koji se protive blokadama fakulteta u Srbiji traže plan nadoknade nastave" [Students who oppose the faculty blockades in Serbia demand a plan for making up classes]. Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbian). 10 March 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
12. ^ "Could Serbia's student protests bring down the government?". Deutsche Welle. 14 March 2025. Archived from the original on 21 September 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
13. ^ a b "Više od dva meseca „Ćacilenda": Čemu služi i šta simboliše ovaj kamp?" [More than two months of "Ćacilend": What is this camp for and what does it symbolise?]. Danas (in Serbian). 12 May 2025. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
14. ^ a b "Is "Students Who Want to Learn" a bogus association?". Vreme. Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
15. ^ Lazić, Miloš Ž. (25 March 2025). "VIDEO Osvanuo video „groblja" traktora koji su branili Ćacilend" [VIDEO A video has emerged of the "graveyard" of tractors that defended Ćacilend]. Nova (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
16. ^ "Studenti Biološkog fakulteta: Ćacilend ugrožava zaštićeni Pionirski park" [Students of the Faculty of Biology: Ćacilend endangers the protected Pionirski Park]. Vreme (in Serbian). 20 March 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
17. ^ Radovanović, Sanja (11 April 2025). "Ćacilend 2.0: Pogledajte kako jutros izgleda prostor ispred Skupštine – na sve strane šatori, traktori, montira se i bina" [Ćacilend 2.0: See what the area in front of the Assembly looks like this morning – tents and tractors everywhere, a stage is being set up]. Nova (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
18. ^ "Nemanja Šarović napadnut kod Pionirskog parka dok je snimao traktore" [Nemanja Šarović attacked near Pionirski Park while filming tractors]. Nova (in Serbian). 17 March 2025. Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
19. ^ "Vučić tvrdi da su požar i pucnjava u 'Ćacilendu' kod Skupštine 'teroristički napad', a tužilac 'pokušaj ubistva'" [Vučić claims that the fire and shooting in 'Ćacilend' near the Assembly were a 'terrorist attack', the prosecutor 'attempted murder']. Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbian). 22 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
20. ^ Bednar, Bojan (23 October 2025). "Pucnjava u Ćacilendu: Teroristički akt ili pokušaj ubistva?" [Shooting in Ćacilend: Terrorist act or attempted murder?]. Vreme (in Serbian). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
21. ^ "„Ćacilend" prazan, ali pristup Pionirskom parku i dalje zabranjen" ["Ćacilend" empty, but access to Pionirski Park still forbidden]. Danas (in Serbian). 11 September 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
22. ^ "Policija skoro dva meseca ćuti na pitanja Nove ko prijavljuje protest u „ćacilendu"" [For almost two months the police have not answered Nova's questions on who registers the protest in "ćacilend"]. Nova (in Serbian). 18 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
23. ^ "Građani ruše Ćacilend: Cepaju šatore, uklanjaju ograde" [Citizens tear down Ćacilend: Ripping up tents, removing fences]. N1 (in Serbian). 25 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
24. ^ "Od "Ćacilenda" ponovo Pionirski park: "Vratili smo mu stari naziv, ali smo ga i vratili Beograđanima"". N1. 26 October 2026. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
25. ^ a b c "Studenti koji žele da tuže: Zbog „narušavanja" ugleda Vučića, Studenti 2.0 prete krivičnim prijavama" [Students who want to sue: Students 2.0 threaten criminal complaints over "damage" to Vučić's reputation]. N1 (in Serbian). 20 May 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
26. ^ "„Ćaci" prete medijima: Nove SLAPP tužbe u najavi" ["Ćaci" threaten the media: New SLAPP lawsuits announced]. Vreme (in Serbian). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
27. ^ a b c Vučić, Marija (21 May 2025). "Ko to šalje pretnje medijima? Naprednjaci, Studenti koji žele da uče i influenseri se ogradili" [Who is sending threats to the media? The Progressives, Students Who Want to Study and the influencers distanced themselves]. Raskrikavanje (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
28. ^ "Citizens against "Ćaciland": Is the occupation of Pioneer Park legal?". Vreme. 27 May 2025. Archived from the original on 28 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
29. ^ "Diana Hrka's hunger strike: Ćaciland is full of men ready to fight". Vreme. 2 November 2025. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.