Thousands rally in Croatia demanding urgent cleanup of toxic waste from a town

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people rallied on Saturday in Croatia, furious that authorities for months haven't cleared a huge amount of illegally dumped hazardous waste that has triggered fears of major environmental damage in the European Union country.

The illegal waste scandal in the central town of Gospic has fueled criticism of conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his government, which has faced mounting public anger in recent weeks.

The issue first surfaced last February when Croatian police and Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, arrested 13 people suspected of illegally importing and disposing of hazardous waste. Europol said at the time that the suspects made at least 4 million euros ($4.2 million) in illegal profit.

More than a year later, Gospic residents fear that about 37,000 metric tons (40,000 U.S. tons) of waste that is still at an abandoned industrial site — mostly buried underground — was endangering their health. It includes remains of electronic equipment, plastics, construction materials and medical waste.

An expert report published last month by Croatian anti-corruption agency USKOK says that the soil at the site contained elevated metal concentration and that PFAS compounds, known as the “forever chemicals,” have also been detected in groundwater.

Saturday's protest requested that authorities present a clear plan to urgently and completely remediate the polluted sites according to clearly defined deadlines. Protesters are also demanding an immediate ban on waste imports.

Vjekoslav Busic, from the “Gospic Is Our Home” initiative behind the protest, said that residents had been reporting what they believed was suspected illegal activity since 2023.

“The result to date: Not a single kilogram (pound) of hazardous waste has been removed from Gospic,” Busic said.

Protester Ivan Rittinger said that authorities “are talking about this as if it were a tragedy, as if it just happened out of nowhere. Rittinger said that "someone made money out of it and someone was paid to look the other way.”

“It was planned,” he said. “This is not a tragedy. This is a crime.”

USKOK said that it was investigating a Croatian company for allegedly burying illegal toxic waste at several sites across Croatia, with the largest amount found in Gospic. The government has said that the investigation is underway, as well as efforts to clear the area.

Authorities also have said that multiple water and soil tests in Gospic came out negative for contamination. The site will be temporarily covered to protect it from rainwater, one company has been chosen to clear some of the waste while a long-term plan is drafted.

Plenkovic has accused his political opponents of fueling panic for political gains.

Experts agree that the damage is at a local level. But they warn that the region’s karst terrain, loose soil and rivers could carry pollution from the site toward the Adriatic Sea.

The town of Gospic, which has around 12,000 residents, is located in a region close to a nature park and known for forests, lakes and rivers. The initial Europol report said that much of the waste that ended up in Gospic was imported from other EU nations Italy, Slovenia and Germany.

The protesters at the main square in Croatia's capital, Zagreb, shouted “Croatia, Croatia" as they carried national flags and banners reading “When if not now” or “The lungs of Croatia have trouble breathing.”

Zeljka Sikic from Gospic thanked the crowd for “coming out publicly, because it takes courage nowadays.” Sikic said "we have been handed over to eco-mafia.

Zagreb resident Suzane Maria Flander said that it's a “basic human right to have clean soil, clean water and clean air.”