Ćaciland Protest Camp

Ćaciland (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћациленд) is a colloquial name for a camp in Pionirski Park in Belgrade, Serbia, in response to student anti-corruption demonstrations in Serbia by supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), who call themselves "Students 2.0" or "students who want to study". It was created in March 2025, a few days before the largest protest in the country's history.^[1][2][3]

The term ćaciland comes from the word ćaci. Namely, an unknown perpetrator graffitied the entrance to Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium with the words Ćaci u školu, instead of the correct spelling Đaci u školu (meaning „Students, go to school“, or, in this context, „go back to school“). The term quickly spread across the internet and social media, and protesters started calling all government supporters ćaci, which is supposed to reflect their lack of education and thoughtlessness. Therefore, ćaciland literally means the land of ćaci, that is, the land of government supporters.^[4]

On November 1, 2024, at 11:52 a.m., the concrete canopy of the Novi Sad Railway Station collapsed, killing 16 people, including several children, one of whom was only 6 years old. The event became a direct trigger for the outbreak of massive demonstrations in the country, led by university students across Serbia, blocking faculties and boycotting classes and exams. High school students soon joined the blockades.^[5]

Ahead of a major protest in Belgrade on March 15, 2025, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party organized several people who would pose as students opposing the blockades (some of whom were not even students, but people in their late ages) and, led by a student from the Faculty of Medicine, Miloš Pavlović, occupied Pioneers Park, a monument under state protection.^[3][6]

The tent settlement still exists, although very few SNS supporters reside there. In the meantime, the camp has expanded to Nikola Pašić Square, the street in front of the Parliament.^[7]

Resolution 2025/2917(RSP) of the European Parliament adopted on 22 October 2025, condemns Ćaciland as an “illegal encampment in Pionirski park”, stating grave concern “about multiple reports of individuals with criminal backgrounds being mobilised by the ruling party in counter-protest activities, attacking protesters with pyrotechnics, further escalating tensions, violence and polarisation in the country”.^[8]

In May 2025, Students Who Want to Study (Students 2.0) reportedly sent warning letters to several independent media outlets, announcing SLAPP lawsuits and even criminal charges. ^[9][10]

The letters claimed that the media published “baseless, tendentious and offensive comments” about President Aleksandar Vučić, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and the Students 2.0 organization, which they argued constituted defamation. ^[10]

The warnings preceding a criminal complaint included the names of three influencers, Aleksandar "Cile ST" Leštarić, Danica Manojlović, and Luka Lekić, who were presented as "META Advisors" allegedly planning to illegally suspend the accounts of independent media on social networks.^[11][12] All three influencers have distanced themselves from these claims, stating that the allegations "have no basis in truth" and that their names were deliberately misused as retaliation for their support and participation in Serbian anti-corruption protests. ^[12][13]

According to N1, the warning letters employed official state symbols, a detail criticized by legal experts.^[13]

Threats were described by lawyers as vague: the letters failed to specify which particular media reports were considered defamatory, and instead listed a broad set of potential legal actions without clear foundation. ^[13]

Ćaciland (Students 2.0) has been criticized for repeated attacks on journalists within and around the camp, often occurring in the presence of police who were unwilling to intervene in most cases. ^[14] Reported victims include reporters from KTV, Fonet, Insajder and N1, as well as a YouTuber Neven, who were threatened, physically assaulted, or prevented from reporting.^[14] Legal experts and former police officials have condemned the authorities’ inaction, noting that it contributed to a climate of impunity and further intimidation of the press.^[14]

Although a public area under state protection, the park is surrounded by fences (and during the protest on March 15, even by tractors), and anyone who is not registered is prohibited from entering. The area is protected by the “residents” of the settlement, as well as the police.^[15]

There have been many attempts to break into the park, after which people have been expelled, and sometimes even brutally beaten, by SNS supporters residing in the park. There has been no reaction from the police guarding the park.^[16]

All independent media outlets supporting the protests are not welcome in Pioneers Park, while the most notable case is that of KTV television reporter Nemanja Šarović, who was arrested while trying to take statements from those gathered in the park.[1]

Student protesters, citizens and assemblies of Belgrade residents are sharply criticizing this move. Pictures of the “ćaciland” are circulating on social media as the biggest defeat for Serbia and Belgrade. There have also been protests aimed solely at removing the tent settlement.^[17]

On the other hand, the authorities and their supporters consider “Students 2.0” to be completely legitimate and support them in their goals. The President of Serbia has called Ćaciland "a symbol of resistance" and "a single place in the country on to which those who think differently gather”.^[18]

• 2024–present Serbian anti-corruption protests
• Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse
• 2025 Belgrade stampede
• Ćaci u školu
• Pioneers Park, Belgrade