Karlovska opozicija je ostro obsodila rušenje stavbe in aretacijo dveh državljank: "Simbol represije... "

In Karlovač, local activists have strongly condemned the recent destruction of lime trees on Trg Bana Jelačića and the arrest of two women who opposed the action. The incident has sparked outrage among residents and political representatives, with many calling it a symbol of repression by municipal authorities. Representatives from the party Možemo!, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the Pensioners' Party, supported by independent candidates, gathered at the city council meeting to denounce the removal of the trees and the treatment of the protesters. The city council members described the actions as a clear disregard for public opinion, professional expertise, and civic interests. Dobriša Adamec, a city council member from Možemo!, stated that over 4,000 citizens had publicly opposed the demolition of the trees, emphasizing that this was not merely an issue of trees but rather a reflection of how local authorities treat their residents. He pointed out that the limes had survived wars, earthquakes, storms, and four years of construction work on the urban agglomeration project. Their destruction, he argued, was not due to illness but because someone decided so, and the mayor should answer to the citizens. Ehlimana Planinac from the SDP called the day a sorrowful one for Karlovač. She noted that the trees were removed early in the morning, planned and accelerated, with guards deployed to protect the site from its own citizens. Two individuals who publicly resisted the tree removal were taken into police custody. She added that the voices of citizens and professionals in the ruling HDZ party mean nothing, and instead of dialogue and consensus, there was repression and the destruction of urban green space. She highlighted that false promises were revealed, such as the claim that the limes planted in 1979 on the occasion of Karlovač’s 400th anniversary would be relocated. Only one tree remained standing, while nearly 40 were destroyed. Vesna Horvat from the Pensioners’ Party reminded that a year ago, the City Council had approved the Strategy for Green Urban Renewal of Karlovač, yet since then, a large meadow has been paved over, and now the limes are being removed. Luka Kučinić from the SDP emphasized that Karlovač has lost more than just trees, it has lost part of its identity. Davor Petračić, a former candidate for mayor, urged that Mayor Mandić, due to his inability to implement projects and repeated failures, must be replaced. The construction works on the reconstruction of the square were temporarily halted due to public backlash against the removal of the forest area. However, the City Council decided to continue with the project. Proctor Ana Hranilović Trubić of the Urban Planning and Environmental Protection Department previously stated that they were working on an area larger than eight thousand square meters and would plant 18 new lime trees. The mayor, however, claimed that according to a landscape study, these trees could never have been planted on the site due to asphalt blocking them. The project was designed by architects Krešimir Rogina and Vinko Penezić, who won the best award in an urbanist and architectural competition in 2009. The controversy surrounding the removal of the limes highlights broader tensions between urban development plans and community resistance, raising questions about transparency, accountability, and the role of local governance in shaping the city's future.