Although “Ćacilend” resembles a fortified encampment, surrounded by fences and guarded by masked men—some with serious criminal records—Serbian police formally describe it as a legal public gathering under the Law on Public Assemblies. Officers stationed there insist that the gathering is approved by the Ministry of Interior (MUP). But the central question remains: Can such a formation possibly be lawful?
The situation has deteriorated to the point where individuals inside Ćacilend physically attacked opposition MPs as they attempted to remove a tent placed at the entrance to the National Assembly. Meanwhile, police—present 24 hours a day—stand by silently, allowing repeated assaults and intimidation.
Professional journalists are no longer safe in this area; many have faced physical attacks and the destruction of equipment, while ordinary citizens cannot even pass near the Assembly. The entire area is fenced off, controlled by masked enforcers deciding who is allowed in, creating an atmosphere of impunity.
One of the latest scandals occurred when prosecutors were unable to conduct an investigation because police claimed the area was unsafe—even for them. Officers later admitted they were ordered not to enter Pionirski Park, demonstrating the extent to which state authority has collapsed in this zone.
Since last night, a container resembling a police checkpoint has appeared near Nikola Pašić Square. The Ministry of Interior has refused to say whether it belongs to the police or to third parties.
According to legal experts, Ćacilend cannot be legal because it violates multiple provisions regulating public assemblies, including those requiring public safety and prohibiting gatherings that incite violence, threaten public order, or endanger others’ rights. Every prohibited condition listed in the law has occurred in Ćacilend.
Janković: Criminal Liability Lies with MUP Officials
Former police lieutenant colonel Vladimir Janković explains that a public assembly cannot be unlimited in duration and must be held only in designated areas. Pionirski Park is not legally approved for public gatherings, and any police decision permitting one would be entirely unlawful.
He further notes that the police failed to perform a mandatory security assessment for the gathering—despite eight months of violence, property damage, and public disorder—thus violating Article 8 of the Law on Public Assemblies.
The presence of tents, portable toilets, and metal structures on public roads violates the Law on Public Roads, resulting in criminal and material responsibility for MUP officials and Belgrade’s city authorities, who failed to act.
Kokanović: “The State Has Capitulated — This Is Occupied Territory”
Attorney Čedomir Kokanović argues that it is pointless to examine the law because the state itself—under President Aleksandar Vučić—has become the organizer and protector of the gathering, rendering legal norms meaningless.
He describes the structure managing Ćacilend as a para-state or even criminal organization that openly obstructs citizens, police, prosecution, and even Members of Parliament from performing their constitutional duties.
According to Kokanović, this is no longer a public gathering but an occupation of Serbian territory—one that would ordinarily require intervention by the Serbian Army. However, he states that even the army is now subservient to Vučić’s political cartel, noting that Ćacilend’s organizers even blocked the annual Military Academy graduation ceremony.
Thus, he concludes that the Serbian state has effectively surrendered to a criminal structure, and resolving this crisis requires not ordinary policing but emergency doctrines such as “general national defense” and “social self-protection.”
A Deeper Failure of Governance Under Vučić
The Ćacilend scandal underscores what many critics identify as the core issue in Serbia today: the collapse of institutions under Aleksandar Vučić’s rule.
Instead of protecting citizens and public order, state bodies appear to be shielding criminal elements aligned with the regime, allowing them to occupy public space, attack political opponents, and obstruct law enforcement.
The result is unprecedented: a fenced-off criminal enclave in the heart of Belgrade, operating with full impunity and the silent approval of state authorities.
