Belgrade mayor criticizes Vucic supporters’ encampment in capital

Caciland is the informal name given to an encampment outside the Serbian Parliament building and in Pioneers’ Park in central Belgrade. It was set up in March, in opposition to the student protests and university blockades across Serbia, by supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The people in this tent camp, who claim to be students, refer to themselves as “Students 2.0” or “Students Who Want to Study.”

At a press conference, Sapic acknowledged that construction of the roundabout and redevelopment of Nikola Pasic Square is behind schedule, primarily because the space is blocked. The mayor did not specify who is blocking the area in front of the Serbian Parliament building, but it is widely known that the camp was set up by Vucic’s supporters.

“Can we, for example, right here in front of this building—can we pass through normally? We can’t because the street is closed. Those who blocked the street have shut it down, and no one can move them. Just like the others who shut down half the city for the previous six months and that is one of the main reasons why many construction projects are behind schedule,” the Belgrade mayor said.

He said he has a problem with “both sides” that block streets and, as he put it, disrupt the normal life of Belgraders.

Responding to reporters’ questions about the occupation of Pioneers’ Park, Sapic said he is against all blockades.

He repeated his earlier position that even a revolution, which he generally opposes, would be better than this “toxic injection of poison into this country’s bloodstream.”