Original article (in Croatian) was published on 8/12/2025; Author: Ivica Kristović, Sanja Despot
The Ministry of the Interior (MUP) stated that on November 30 no deviations were recorded in the number of buses crossing the border with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to previous weekends.
On December 1, the portal Narodno.hr published an article titled “Buses with Foreign License Plates Ahead of the Protest: Editorial Office Receives Serious Tip from a Reader” (archived here). The article was accompanied by an illustration showing a column of buses with Belgrade license plates and Cyrillic signage, which was not taken on that day.
The article states:
“The editorial office of narodno.hr received a tip from a reader who claims that on Sunday, November 30, in the morning hours between 7 and 8 a.m., on the A3 motorway toward Zagreb, in the area between Ivanić-Grad and the toll booths, he noticed around fifteen buses with foreign license plates from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to his account, the buses were full of passengers, and inside them he also noticed banners. The reader states that these banners visually corresponded to those seen several hours later at the anti-fascist protest in Zagreb.”
Although the outlet includes a disclaimer stating that “up to the time of publication of this news we have not received official evidence from the competent institutions nor information regarding this matter,” the article nevertheless adds:
“However, if it were subsequently established that the organized arrival of foreign nationals was part of the event, this would raise serious questions about the possible influence of external actors on internal socio-political processes, which is also a matter of national security of the Republic of Croatia.”
On Sunday, November 30, anti-fascist protests were organized in Zagreb, Rijeka, Pula and Zadar. According to the organizers, the initiative “United Against Fascism,” more than 10,000 people gathered at the rally in Zagreb.
Given that Narodno.hr speculated in an article widely shared on social media about the “organized arrival of foreign nationals” at the event, we contacted the protest organizers for clarification.
“The ‘United Against Fascism’ initiative did not organize transportation of people to the protest from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” they responded.
Such buses were not recorded by border police either. In response to our inquiry as to whether an increased number of buses entering the country had been observed at border crossings, the Ministry of the Interior stated “that no deviations in the number of buses were recorded on 30 November 2025 at the border with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to previous weekends.”
In conclusion, there is no confirmation that buses carrying protesters from Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina arrived in Zagreb on the day of the protest.
