Pro-government tent camp in front of Serbia’s national parliament, April 2025. Photo: BIRN
A group of opposition MPs on Wednesday cut the wires holding the fences of a controversial tent camp, nicknamed “Caciland”, in front of parliament, in order to go through it to attend a parliamentary session.
When they removed one of the tents from the stairs at the entrance, pro-government supporters tried to stop them.
Opposition MPs claimed that pro-government supporters had attacked them.
“My colleagues were sprinkled with Coca-Cola, they threw bottles of water at us, then they attacked MPs here on the stairs … Some were hit, my colleague, Borislav Novakovic, was attacked … on the steps of the parliament, ” the MP and leader of the People’s Party, Mirsolav Aleksic, told a press conference, adding that Novakovic took a blow that knocked his glasses off.
Government supporters set up the tent camp in Spring, during the biggest anti-government protests in modern Serbian history.
On Tuesday, at a collegium, opposition MPs demanded to be able to enter the building by the main entrance, while the Speaker, Ana Brnabic, asked for 48 hours to enable that.
Despite Brnabic’s promise, the fences around Caciland were additionally reinforced with wire on Wednesday morning.
The collegium was held after a group of MPs from the opposition Serbia Centre Party tried to enter and go through Caciland to the main entrance on Tuesday. After being stopped by both pro-government supporters and police, they were later allowed to enter the building.
Brnabic denied that pro-government supporters had attacked the MPs, and told the press conference that the aim of opposition MPs was not to come to their work but to wreck the tents.
“No one was forbidden to enter their workplace, the National Assembly of Serbia, at the main entrance. They did not even go to their workplace. Their goal was to destroy and remove the tents,” she said.
Opposition MPs admitted that they wanted to remove a tent from parliament’s main stairway. This was placed there when ruling Serbian Progressive Party MP Ugljesa Mrdic went on a hunger strike earlier this month, demanding action on a criminal complaint he has filed related to the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy. Mrdic is no longer on hunger strike, and the tent was empty.
“Brnabic says the intention was to remove the tents. Yes, it is, because the space in front of the National Parliament of Serbia belongs to all citizens of Serbia! We defend the dignity of the assembly and want a free public space for all citizens,” wrote Green-Left Front MP Biljana Djodjevic on X.
Petar Boskovic, Serbia Centre MP, told N1 that he and his colleagues “pledge to enter the main entrance tomorrow as well”. Other opposition MPs were also waiting to see if Brnabic fulfils her promise made on Tuesday, to free the entrance in 48 hours.
