ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - Croatian Interior Minister Sime Lucin has decided to ban a public rally, namely the blockade of the state road D1 from Gracac to Karlovac which a group of lorry drivers announced for the coming weekend.
ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - Croatian Interior Minister Sime Lucin has
decided to ban a public rally, namely the blockade of the state road
D1 from Gracac to Karlovac which a group of lorry drivers announced
for the coming weekend. #L#
The minister made the decision pursuant to the law on public rallies
which allows him to ban peaceful gatherings in case they can pose a
threat to road traffic.
According to the interior ministry, the announced protest rally of
47 lorry drivers from Solin, southern Croatia, could seriously
hinder the movement and work of many citizens and this was another
reason for the ban.
"As soon as (protesters) announced the gathering it was clear that
such a rally could endanger the fundamental constitutional right of
citizens to the freedom of movement. As this road is the jugular
vein and the blockade has been planned for the weekend when a larger
number of tourists is expected on that direction, it is clear that
the minister's decision has been the only possible solution," the
spokeswoman for the interior ministry, Zinka Bardic, told Hina on
Thursday.
The Solin-based association of hauliers announced the blockade of
the Gracac-Karlovac road for 4-6 July in protest over a high price
of fuel, high road tolls and insurance premiums and restrictions
for movements of lorries during the tourist season.
The announcement of the road blockade was condemned by Transport
Minister Roland Zuvanic, the national association of road carriers
and a group of cargo hauliers within the Croatian Chamber of
Commerce which gathers over 99 percent of hauliers in the country.
(hina) ms