Ćaciland Protest Camp
Tractors parked around the encampment in Pionirski Park, used as makeshift wall | |
| Date | 9 March 2025 – present (3 months, 1 week and 6 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | Pionirski Park, Belgrade, Serbia |
| Cause | Opposition to the student protests and university blockades |
| Participants | "Students 2.0" group, supporters of the SNS, farmers, members of JSO |
Ćaciland (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћациленд) is an informal, satirical name for a protest camp established in Pionirski Park, Belgrade on 9 March 2025. The encampment was formed by a group calling itself "Students 2.0," who opposed the ongoing student-led protests across Serbia. The blockades were part of wider anti-corruption protests demanding government accountability for the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse, a tragedy which killed 16 people. Supported by citizens, farmers, and members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the camp is widely viewed by critics as an astroturfed, state-sponsored counter-protest designed to delegitimize anti-corruption protests.
The term "Ćaciland" quickly entered public discourse as a pejorative label, derived from "ćaci," a derogatory term for uneducated or naive students. It became a symbol of the deep political polarization in Serbian society, highlighting the clash between the protesting students and groups aligned with the government. Media coverage was intensely divided, with pro-government outlets portraying the camp's participants as victims of harassment, while independent media reported on the organized transport of supporters and the presence of controversial figures, including members of the notorious former paramilitary unit, the JSO. The phenomenon left a lasting cultural mark, with "Ćaciland" becoming a metaphor for attempts to create artificial public support and manipulate political narratives in Serbia.