Original article (in Croatian) was published on 31/12/2025; Author: Ivan Nekić
The individuals found on a bus to Zaprešić and stopped by police were not illegal migrants but applicants for international protection, police confirmed.
Hostility toward migrants and foreign workers in Croatia has, unfortunately, become a familiar phenomenon. Hardly a day passes on social media without some expression of intolerance toward them. Migrants and foreign workers are portrayed as problematic, dirty, and as a threat to “our nation” and “our children.”
The latest example is a viral post (the post archived here and the video here) shared in the Facebook group Zaprešić Online!, which allegedly shows illegal migrants on a night bus traveling from Črnomerec toward Zaprešić who were, according to the author, removed from the bus by police. The post, accompanied by a photo and video, reads as follows:
“Illegal immigrants on a Zaprešić bus!
The recording is mine from half an hour ago. Line 172, direction Črnomerec – Zaprešić at 00:30. In Gajnice, around 10 illegal immigrants get on the bus. Next to me were sitting two young girls (I’d say just turned 20) whom they were constantly sizing up and commenting on, and you could see the girls felt uncomfortable. They came up to me and to them asking for phone chargers. They smelled and were muddy. Since it was a small bus, we were all sitting relatively close together. On one of the girls you could already see a slow fear in her eyes. We turn from Jarek toward Kaufland and at the roundabout the police block the road with flashing lights, 4 police officers storm onto the bus and force them out with the comment ‘what, are they here again.’
These are not foreign workers, polite Filipinos and Nepalese. These are illegal and dangerous immigrants. Based on skin color and language, I would say Morocco, Egypt, and maybe Syria… In other words, the worst ones.
So watch your children, and especially young girls if they are returning home at night.
Feel free to share the post further.”
The post was shared in the group on December 17 and, by the time of writing, had received 182 shares, 102 comments and 370 other reactions.
Police: They Were Applicants for International Protection
Faktograf contacted the Zagreb Police Directorate to verify whether the individuals in question were indeed illegal migrants, as claimed in the post. The police confirmed that officers had intervened on the bus but clarified that checks established the individuals were not illegal migrants.
In response to Faktograf’s inquiry, the police stated:
“Police officers, as part of their regular duties involving the implementation of compensatory measures, observed several foreign nationals on a ZET bus whom they suspected to be illegal migrants and used light signals on the official vehicle to stop the bus.
Inside, they found five foreign nationals (two citizens of Egypt, two citizens of Morocco and one citizen of Syria). Through the checks conducted, it was established that these were already registered persons who had expressed the intention to seek international protection/asylum in the Republic of Croatia and who have been provided accommodation in reception centers for applicants for international protection while the procedure is ongoing.”
The police further noted:
“Applicants for international protection, in accordance with EU regulations, have freedom of movement within the territory of the Republic of Croatia while the procedure is ongoing,”
adding that they often use this freedom to travel to a desired Member State, thereby “abusing the European system of international protection.”
The police also added:
“In the border area with the Republic of Slovenia, police officers are deployed on a daily basis and closely cooperate with police officers of the Republic of Slovenia with the aim of continuous and effective border control and the exchange of information on the movement of migrants, as well as on human smugglers, within the framework of so-called compensatory measures. Such international cooperation helps in monitoring and stopping smuggling chains and in finding appropriate solutions at the regional level to combat irregular migration.”
What Rights Do Applicants for International Protection Have in Croatia?
In an explanation of the rights and obligations of applicants for international protection published on the website of the Ministry of the Interior, the following is stated:
“A foreign national who expresses the intention to submit an application for international protection (an applicant for international protection) has the right to accommodation in a Reception Centre, food and clothing provided in kind, reimbursement of public transport costs for the purposes of the procedure for granting international protection, and financial assistance. An applicant for international protection has the right to financial assistance unless he or she is employed and earns income sufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living, or possesses financial resources or is otherwise provided with financial means. If the applicant possesses his or her own funds, the applicant for international protection may, at his or her own expense, reside at any address in the Republic of Croatia, subject to prior approval by the Ministry of the Interior.”
It is further stated that an applicant for international protection has the right to have the procedure conducted in a language he or she understands; to receive information about rights, obligations and the procedure for granting international protection; to legal counselling; to adequate material reception conditions; to health care; to primary and secondary education; to free legal aid before the first-instance administrative court; to freedom of religion; and to work if no decision has been taken within three months of submitting the application through no fault of the applicant. The law also provides for the appointment of a guardian for minors and legally incapacitated persons in the procedure.
In conclusion, the individuals found on the bus toward Zaprešić and stopped by police were not illegal migrants but applicants for international protection, as confirmed by the police. The bus was stopped due to suspicion that the individuals might be illegal migrants; however, subsequent checks established that they were asylum applicants who have the right to move and reside within the Republic of Croatia. In light of the above, we assess the private user’s post in the Facebook group Zaprešić Online! as partly inaccurate.
