When he woke up and took a look out the window, his eyes immediately widened in anger. He had been spending weeks trying to resolve the issue peacefully but what he saw outside proves that all his polite pleas fell on deaf ears.
Source: AmoMama
He stepped outside and looked at the rows of cars parked all over his land. He just knew that he had enough. People have been abusing his patience too much. Without thinking it over, he climbed on his tractor and turned the engine on. It was time for revenge.
The rural village
Zagreb is the capital and the most populated city of Croatia. Zagreb is a city that is rich in history and culture. Naturally, this draws tourists to the capital. On the outskirts of Zagreb, there is a village called Jakusevac.
Source: Sital
Jakusevac is a rural community that is getting attention thanks to a famous flea market that is set up near the village center every Sunday. It was becoming so popular that people from all over Croatia would make efforts to go there every weekend.
The famous flea market
The flea market in Jakusevac is very popular because of the wide variety of items that are being sold in the market. You can buy antiques, vintage clothes, collectibles, furniture, rugs, motorcycles, and bicycles in just one lane.
Source: Pixabay
Aside from the good deals, tourists are also attracted to the Jakusevac flea market because of the food stalls. Aside from selling local fruits and vegetables, some merchants also sell street food and other local delicacies.
Meet Pavao
This may all seem fun for the casual shopper but one Zagreb resident found himself hating the Sunday market that took place every weekend. This was a farmer who happened to own the land right next to the site of the flea market.
Source: Big Tyres
Pavao Bedekovic loved his life in Jakusevac. He loved its quietness and simplicity. In fact, this was one of the perks of staying in a rural community. But ever since the flea market opened next to his property, the shoppers had been giving him constant problems.
A negative impact
Pavao used to welcome the fact that their community was growing and modernizing. He initially was glad that a flea market opened next door because that meant he could shop without taking the car out. He can have food and groceries in less than 10 minutes.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
But he had no idea how much of an impact that flea market would have on his quiet and peaceful life – and it was not a positive one. As the weeks passed, the crowd in the flea market grew bigger as word got out about it.
Lack of parking space
As the flea market became popular, people started to realize the lack of a dedicated parking space in the area. Jakusevac was a small village which meant small streets. And the streets got smaller as people started parking on the side of the road.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
And it just so happens that Pavao’s farm was an open area. He was preparing the land for corn but the shoppers saw the open area and had turned it into a parking lot. His property was next to the flea market and it was a short walk. Shoppers saw it as a convenient spot.
From farm to parking lot
Pavao’s farm was invaded and turned into a parking lot every Sunday by the flea market goers. People did not even bother to ask the property owner if they could park their cars on his farm. They just brazenly started parking their cars on his property.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
The majority of those who invaded his space were tourists so Pavao tried to be patient. But soon enough, even some locals were parking there too. Before he knew it, there would be two to three rows of parked cars on his land every Sunday.
Asking nicely
Pavao tried his best to be patient at first. He would often ask people to avoid parking their cars on his property in the future when he catches them on their way back to their cars. But every week, more people continued to park there.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
It came to the point that instead of spending his Sundays with a big brunch with the family, Pavao ended up spending his Sundays out in his field, stopping shoppers from parking as they were pulling into his property.
The parking continues
Standing guard was the only effective way he could stop cars from coming into his land. Those who would encounter him would retreat. But then, as a farmer, he had chores to do. He could not stand outside all day like a parking attendant. He was a busy man.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
So despite his best efforts to politely ask everyone not to use his property for parking and his putting up a sign, shoppers still persisted in using it when he was not on guard. It was frustrating and annoying.
He could not afford a fence
Pavao realized that this parking dilemma was starting to interfere with his habits and his life. He needed to think of a way to discourage people from parking on his land even when he was not on guard.
Source: Pixabay
The most obvious answer was to build a huge fence around his field but he could not afford to do that at the moment. Aside from being expensive, a fence would make it harder for him to navigate his vehicles into the field.
He’s had enough
Pavao had been a very patient man but everyone has their limits. That fateful day happened on November 16, 2015. Pavao woke up to the sight of two lines of parked cars on his property and he decided that he has had enough of this disrespect.
Source: Top5
Pavao decided that it was time to teach the trespassers a lesson. Pavao hopped onto his red tractor and decided it was time to prepare his land so he could plant corn. Then, he drove his tractor toward the row of cars.
The farmer’s revenge
The tractor went in the middle of the two lines of vehicles, and Pavao started to till his land. And as far as farming chores go, tilling the land is not exactly the neatest. Chunks of grass and soil were flying out of the earth and hitting the cars as Pavao plowed through.
Source: 24Sata
A crowd started to gather around after noticing all the commotion. The cars illegally parked on the farm were covered with mud and dirt. They watched Pavao till the soil around the parked cars so they will be stranded and have to deal with the mud and soft ground.
Frantic car owners
Car owners came running from the flea market and were visibly upset. Some were able to get to their cars and drive away but they had to go through the soft ground and still got stuck. While those who had no idea what was happening ended up with stranded cars.
Source: Viral Tales
One of the car owners whose car got stuck on the soft ground threatened Pavao, telling him that he went too far. She ended up calling the cops but Pavao continued tilling his field, oblivious to the frustrated rants of the car owners.
Calling the cops
When the cops came, there was chaos in the streets. The car owners immediately demanded that they arrest Pavao for the destruction that he caused to the cars. The cops assessed the situation and approached Pavao who was waiting for them calmly.
Source: Caters News Agency
Pavao told the cops that this land was his property. He had been asking people for weeks to stop using his land as a parking spot but they just won’t stop. And it just so happens that today was the day he needs to plant corn.
He had the right
The cops returned to the car owners, saying that they could not do anything about it. At the end of the day, the land belonged to Pavao and as the owner, he could do anything he wanted with it anytime.
Source: Pixabay
The car owners could not believe it. As they start to protest again, the officer in charge held up his hand and told them that they should be lucky that Pavao was not charging them for trespassing. If that were the case, the cops would have to arrest them instead.
They should consider themselves lucky
The land was private property and the car owners were parked there illegally. All that the cops can do is help them get their cars out of Pavao’s property before Pavao changes his mind about not pressing charges.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
The whole thing was caught on camera and the video can be found on YouTube. In the video, you can hear bystanders laughing as they watched Pavao get his revenge. There, people also stuck up for the farmer.
The viral video
Most of the comments tackled how selfish and stubborn people can be sometimes and applauded Pavao for being able to get his revenge. For them, it was a well-deserved act that was not violent but had a huge impact.
Source: 24Sata
It did not take long for the YouTube video to go viral. People were amused watching the farmer casually tilling the land as if the cars were not there at all. He looked so chill as he was seeking vengeance.
Bad for the soil
Another commenter pointed out how parked cars can ruin the soil. “These cars are ruining the aggregate of the soil, and the toxins from the car can leach into the ground.” Who knows how much damage had been done over the weeks already.
Source: Atlantic Mirror
Parking on grass, even for just a few hours can do damage not only to the grass but also to the soil. The weight of the car compresses the grass and driving all over a field can cause ruts and disrupt the soil. And as we all know, healthy soil is very important for a farm.
The law was on his side
But hey, Pavao was not as cold-hearted as the car owners think. After making it clear that he no longer wants people to be using his land as a parking lot, he eventually flattened the soil to help free the stranded cars.
Source: Viral Tales
Even then, some of the car owners were not done with him. They complained to the cops that their cars were damaged. The cops told the car owners they had no one to blame but themselves for parking illegally.
Getting the message across
Car owners threatened to sue Pavao for damages. The cops still did not take their side because they were parked illegally despite several warnings from the property owner. It was reported later on that not one of them dared to take things to court.
Source: Pixabay
After the incident, Pavao might have earned himself a reputation that he was a grumpy farmer but his actions were not only satisfying – it was justified. And the next week, there was not a single car on his land. It was the best Sunday that Pavao had.