More than 130 activists and citizens have been arrested since Thursday morning for putting up passive resistance to the continuation of construction works in Varsavska Street in downtown Zagreb, the police said. Citizens have been arrested for passive resistance at the start of the construction works on a future underground parking garage, which is envisaged within the Cvjetni Prolaz project of the private HOTO Grupa led by CEO Tomo Horvatincic.
Early Thursday morning, police started making arrests in Varsavska Street, arresting sit-in activists.
The arrests began around 6 am, when police arrested five activists who came to the construction site of an underground garage in Varsavska, where the Zrinjevac utility started cutting trees an hour earlier.
The number of those arrested grew by the hour and among them are Jurica Meic and Dan Spicer, two Social Democrats in the City Assembly, independent representative Josip Kregar, Pero Kovacevic of the HSP Ante Starcevic party, attorney Slobodan Budak, the coordinator of the Autonomous Women's House, Neva Tolle, and a journalist with the Novi List daily, Branimir Zekic.
Also arrested was Tomislav Tomasevic of the NGO Green Action. He told Hina that he had not been putting up passive resistance, but was arrested while walking down adjacent Gunduliceva Street.
Tomasevic said Mayor Milan Bandic was the most responsible for the chaos in Varsavska and urged him to resign.
He voiced hope that Green Action's suit against the agreement for the construction of a ramp to the garage, signed by Bandic and Tomislav Horvatincic, CEO of the investor, Hoto Grupa, would be processed.
Tomasevic said the City of Zagreb was the investor in the Varsavska Street project and that it gave itself permits for the construction of the ramp to the garage and not to Horvatincic.
Also arrested was writer Edo Popovic, the president of the NGO Right to the City, Teodor Celakoski, and actors Vili Matula and Ursa Raukar. Raukar's attorney Lina Budak told the press that her client had been banned from approaching Varsavska Street between July 15-23.
The media speculate that all those arrested will be banned from approaching the street for a week.
Police blocked the entry to Varsavska from Gunduliceva as well as traffic in Gunduliceva. Protesters and citizens found themselves in the blockade.
Police prevented the chair and deputy chair of the Zagreb City Assembly, Boris Sprem and Morana Palikovic-Gruden respectively, from reaching the construction site.
Palikovic-Gruden asked Mayor Milan Bandic to resign.
Police said they were assisting the city office for physical planning in securing the start of reconstruction works in a part of Varsavska Street, adding that assistance had been requested by the state body in charge given expectations that there would be resistance.
The investor, Hoto Grupa, applauded the start of construction works, saying it was a confirmation of the rule of law, as the Cvjetni Trg project had all the legally required permits.
The Croatian Journalists' Association condemned in the strongest terms the police repression and arrests of activists who peacefully protested against the construction of a ramp for a private garage, and supported the associations which requested the urgent release of those arrested, including two journalists.
