One man has claimed to have founded his own nation - the independent, and tiny, Free Republic of Liberland – a Libertarian republic in the Balkans.
There’s a flag, a coat of arms, an anthem, a government and a waiting list – with some 160,000 people requesting to get in on the founding days of the 7 sq. Km would-be utopia. The new state is to be a Libertarian one with minimal government interference in daily life and where the Constitution “significantly limits the power of politicians so they could not interfere too much in the freedoms of the Liberland nation,” according to the official Liberland website.
The country’s motto is “Live and Let Live” and aims to attract people who "respect others".
There are even reports that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has warned its citizens against moving to Liberland, following a flurry of interest on social media.
A 31-year-old Czech Republic native, Vit Jedlicka, founded the country on a small sliver of land on the Danube, which was contested by Serbia and Croatia and so, technically, no-man’s land. Jedlicka is a member of the Eurosceptic conservative Party of Free Citizens in the Czech Republic.
Liberland is not an official state in any sense, and planting a flag is far from all that is needed to claim land under the principle of terra nullius - that is the freedom to claim any land as yet unclaimed. For Liberland to have any claim at legitimacy it would need to be settled, and that would be an entirely more sensitive matter for the Croatian and Serbian governments.
On the official Liberland website the nations recent origins are explained:
“Liberland came into existence due to a border dispute between Croatia and Serbia. This area along the west bank of the Danube river is not claimed by Croatia, Serbia or any other country. It was therefore terra nullius, a no man’s land, until Vít JedliÄka seized the opportunity and on 13 April 2015 formed a new state in this territory – Liberland.
Liberland was founded originally “a little bit like a protest,” Jedlicka told Time, but is now “really turning out to be a real project with real support.”
Image: Liberland sits between Croatia and Serbia (Credit: Liberland.org)
Time reports that a statement released to announce the new country said: “The objective of the founders of the new state is to build a country where honest people can prosper without being oppressed by governments making their lives unpleasant through the burden of unnecessary restrictions and taxes.”
They’ve outlined their ideal candidates too, saying they want people who:
• Have respect for other people and respect the opinions of others, regardless of their race, ethnicity, orientation, or religion
• Have respect for private ownership which is untouchable
• Do not have communist, Nazi or other extremist past
• Were not punished for past criminal offences
The project has attracted a wave of support and interest, with over 160,000 requesting citizenship. Of these applicants, currently beign sifted through by seven
