One day after Aleksandar Vučić and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) lost Serbia’s snap parliamentary elections, “Ćacilend” in central Belgrade was reduced to the remains of burned tents and scattered debris. Established by the authorities in March 2025 opposite the Serbian presidency, the camp had become a symbol of efforts to withstand the student protest movement.
Following the Student List’s victory in the snap elections, its supporters entered the fenced-off area in Pionirski Park in central Belgrade, where tents erected by Vučić’s government had stood for more than a year and a half. During the celebrations, the tents were damaged and set on fire.
The following morning, BBC journalists visited the site, which had been fenced off and guarded by police for months. Municipal workers were clearing away the remains of the tents, most of them charred, along with other debris.
The scene was dramatically different from what residents had grown accustomed to seeing since March 2025. An elderly man was walking his dog through the park something he had been unable to do while the area was closed off and occupied by the tents.
From a pro-government camp to a symbol of its downfall
The camp, ironically dubbed “Ćacilend” by opponents of Vučić’s government, was set up ahead of the major student protest on March 15, 2025, one of the largest demonstrations in the history of Belgrade and Serbia.
It housed government supporters who presented themselves as “students who want to study,” positioning themselves against students protesting the government.
But the camp was more than just a collection of tents. It became a focal point of political tension, where, with police permission, groups of men including some with their faces covered gathered and stood ready to “defend Ćacilend” from opponents of the government.
For more than a year and a half, the site in the heart of the capital remained fenced off and inaccessible to the public. Now, following Vučić’s electoral defeat, the camp that once served as a protective barrier for his supporters has disappeared.
The tents that occupied central Belgrade for months under police protection are gone. In their place are charred remains, while images of the empty park mark the end of one of the most controversial symbols of the confrontation between the authorities and student protesters.
According to BBC Serbian, the site previously hidden behind fences and tents is expected to have new occupants, as another presidential election is due to take place within the next two months.
