Belgrade protests heat up over controversial lithium mine plans

Thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade on Saturday to protest against the plan to open a lithium mine in Serbia. "It is an ecological protest, but also a political one, resulting from a complete lack of trust in our authorities," says Milosz, a participant in the demonstration, to PAP.

The protest was organized on the day the 40-day period set by the government to adopt a law permanently banning geological surveys and the exploitation of lithium and boron in Serbia expired.

At 1 PM, thousands of participants gathered at the central square of Belgrade, from where the march began towards the busiest bridge over the Sava River. The organizers called on the protesters to block the bridge. According to the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, about 27,000 people participated in the protest.

There is no turning back, we will defend Serbia, emphasized activist Zlatko Kokanović, calling on the crowd to protest peacefully.

"I am here because I am fed up with the lies and manipulations of the authorities. Three years ago, I protested against the same thing, and we were promised then that the matter was closed. Today I have to take to the streets again because we were lied to once more," explains 35-year-old Milosz.

"I do not believe in assurances that anyone will take care of our health, our country, our environment. They tell us that the whole country will get richer, but only the elites will get richer, and the people, as usual, will bear the consequences," adds 25-year-old Jovana.

Numerous banners were visible at the protest, including "Stop Rio Tinto" and "No to digging and exploitation." The participants continuously shouted accusations of betrayal directed at the Serbian authorities.

The march proceeded peacefully, although a small counter-protest gathered nearby, with participants carrying Serbian and Russian flags and wooden Orthodox crosses.

The country's top authorities accused the protest organizers before the protest, claiming they wanted to forcibly remove the government. President Aleksandar Vučić added that he received a warning from Russian services about a planned coup in Serbia.

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin compared the demonstrations to color revolutions, accusing "western services" of organizing them, according to Serbian media reports.

Saturday's protest in Belgrade followed a series of demonstrations organized over two weeks in many cities in Serbia. These were triggered by the government's decision to resume the Jadar project, under which the international company Rio Tinto will start exploiting Serbia's lithium deposits. The project was halted at the beginning of 2022 after mass social protests.

Recall that on July 19, an agreement was signed in Belgrade between the EU and Serbia regarding a strategic partnership for sustainable raw materials, battery production chains, and electric vehicles. Vučić announced that Serbia could start mining the metal in 2028. The deposits located in western Serbia are considered to be among the largest in Europe.