A Question of Honor, Priorities, and Wasted Tax Euros 100%
They Tore Down the Friendship Shower. We Will Rebuild It.
On July 16, 2026, a symbol of goodwill and basic human decency was targeted. For over a year, the "Shower of Croatian-Liberland Friendship" and its accompanying water tower stood on the floodplain of Gornja Siga. It provided basic hygiene for everyone who visited or lived in the Free Republic of Liberland. Today, it lies knocked on its side—torn down in an unannounced, undocumented demolition. But let it be clear: it is not gone. We will fix it and rebuild, just as we always do.
To ensure this operation was conducted in the dark, the groundwork was laid a week earlier. On July 8, teams arrived specifically to cut down the surrounding trees that held security cameras and a Starlink terminal. The objective was clear: remove the evidence before tearing down the infrastructure.
The Burden of the Oath
Imagine for a minute being an ordinary Croatian border policeman or secret service officer assigned to this sector.
On the day you put on the uniform, you raised your hand and swore a solemn oath: "I swear that I will respect the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Croatia, that I will protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Croatia, that I will conscientiously and responsibly perform police duties, that I will protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that I will keep official secrets. So help me God."
How do you reconcile those sacred words with the orders you are handed down from upper management in Zagreb?
We know that the hardworking police officers on the ground are not the ones devising these plans. They are being forced to cross outside recognized Croatian territory to do the dirty work. They are instructed to assist Croatian forest workers to take bikes, boats, trailers, and quads—not through a legal confiscation process with paperwork, inventories, and receipts, but by simply taking them. They are sent to tear down showers, toilets, and temporary homes without a single court order or administrative decree. This is not standard law enforcement; it is a burden placed on honorable officers who signed up to catch criminals, not to dismantle plumbing.
The Geopolitical Trap: Why Croatia Refuses to Claim the Land
To understand the absurdity of these police operations, one must look at the actual border dispute. Why does Croatia fiercely patrol a piece of land while absolutely refusing to officially claim it as Croatian territory?
The answer is a geopolitical trap. The border dispute between Croatia and Serbia hinges on two different maps. Serbia argues the border should follow the middle of the current, modern Danube River. Croatia argues the border must follow the ancient 19th-century cadastral municipal borders, which trace the old, meandering path of the river before it was straightened.
Because of these ancient borders, Croatia claims massive, valuable tracts of land that currently sit on the eastern (Serbian) side of the Danube. Conversely, Gornja Siga (Liberland) sits on the western bank. If Croatia were to legally claim Liberland, they would be implicitly agreeing to Serbia’s argument that the modern river center is the true border. Doing so would be detrimental to their own territorial integrity, instantly destroying their legal claim to the much larger Croatian territories on the other side of the river.
Therefore, Croatia is forced into a bizarre extension of powers: they project aggressive police force onto the western bank to keep the territory empty, while legally disavowing it to protect their claims on the eastern bank. Liberland is simply the collateral damage of this unresolved mapping dispute.
The Legal Double Standard: Jurisdiction Only When Convenient
Perhaps the most glaring evidence that these actions are not about the rule of law is the bizarre legal paradox at the center of this dispute.
For years, Croatian police have systematically issued fines to Liberland settlers and visitors for "illegal camping," explicitly claiming the authority to enforce Croatian law and collect fines in this specific area.
Yet, when we attempt to use the Croatian legal system to seek justice for the destruction of our property—filing formal legal actions against these unannounced raids and the taking of our belongings—Croatian institutions suddenly reject the cases. Their official reasoning? They claim a lack of jurisdiction over the territory.
A modern European state cannot have it both ways. Institutions cannot simultaneously claim jurisdiction to punish peaceful people and collect their money, while instantly disavowing that very same jurisdiction the moment they are asked to answer for destroying property. This is a deliberate legal loophole designed to let state actors operate with total impunity, entirely bypassing the legal accountability that every Croatian citizen rightfully expects from their government.
A Waste of Taxpayer Money and Local Potential
Let us do the basic math on this operation. For the past 11 years, it is estimated that the equivalent of at least 12 police officers have been permanently dedicated to patrolling, blockading, and harassing Liberland. At a conservative estimate of €25,000 per year in gross salary, benefits, and state costs per officer, that amounts to €300,000 annually. Over 11 years, the baseline personnel cost alone exceeds €3.3 million. When you add the constant fuel consumption for police boats, the maintenance of off-road quads, the mobilization of excavators, and the massive administrative overhead of processing pointless fines, the Croatian state has easily squandered over €4 to €5 million.
Why are millions in public funds being burned to tear down infrastructure in a swamp when local infrastructure in the region desperately needs investment? The settlements in Liberland rely heavily on supply runs to local Croatian businesses. Every visitor, investor, and resident of Liberland buys food, materials, and services in nearby towns like Batina, Zmajevac, and Osijek.
History has proven time and again that a free economic zone on your doorstep is a massive wealth generator for the entire surrounding region. Think of what Hong Kong did for the economy of mainland China—acting as a gateway for global trade, financial capital, and unparalleled regional development. Liberland offers that exact same economic engine right here on the Danube.
We want to be a permanent economic catalyst for this region. This is why we are actively opening a new business center at Batina Freedom Square. In a beautiful village that has tragically lost all of its local shops except for a single grocery store, we are bringing commercial utility and fresh investment to revitalize the community. By treating a peaceful settlement as an enemy, the state is literally driving away the revenue and development that local Croatian vendors desperately need.
A Plea to Our Neighbors: Chess, Not Hostilities
To the people of Croatia: We kindly ask you to look at the real issues and leave us in peace.
Croatia is a beautiful country, but it is facing an existential demographic crisis that has nothing to do with a 7-square-kilometer floodplain. Between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, Croatia lost nearly 400,000 citizens—close to 10% of its entire population.
This demographic collapse is hitting the regions right next to Liberland the hardest. Counties like Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja are seeing devastating population declines, with some areas losing up to 20% of their residents in a single decade. Thousands of capable, young people continue to leave for Germany and Ireland every year because of a lack of economic opportunity.
Instead of deploying state resources, heavy machinery, and millions of tax Euros to knock down a shower of friendship and chase away international investors, we offer an alternative. Liberland wants to be a partner in bringing prosperity to the Danube, not an adversary. Furthermore, we stand ready to help protect the Schengen border exactly as it has been delimited on all official maps, offering our cooperation to ensure security and stability for the entire region.
Instead of hostilities, we extend an open invitation to the Croatian public and authorities alike. Come sit with us. Join us at the upcoming Liberland Chess Open (Chess.ll.land) and let us battle on the chessboard rather than the floodplain. We also welcome you to celebrate community, music, and liberty at our upcoming events, including Liberpulco (Liberpulco.com) and Floating Man (Floatingman.ll.land).
It is time to focus on the real problems. Let us build a future together, rather than tearing down the infrastructure of friendship.
Sources & Further Reading
On Previous Police Incursions & Media Coverage:
- Index.hr: Proveli smo dan sa stanovnicima Liberlanda: Želimo imati slobodnu državu – A firsthand account of life in the settlement after first raid in September 2023 and their desire for freedom.
- Jutarnji list: Hrvatska policija i bageri su upali i sve uništili! – Coverage of the unannounced September 2024 demolition of the medical center involving heavy machinery.
- Net.hr: Šprajc se narugao upadu policije u Liberland – National Croatian media satirizing the heavy-handed police response to the peaceful camp.
- Niko Omilana (YouTube): Sneaking Into A BANNED Country – Video documentation of the hostile reception and physical confrontation by Croatian border police against a visiting YouTuber.
- Bike forest theft (YouTube): Croatian forest workers in action – Video documentation of the theft of Liberland bikes assisted by Croatian police
- Kroatia Kops (YouTube): Brave defenders of Croatian law and order in action - Video documentation of a heroic struggle of Man against a Sign.