Thousands of people demonstrated in Belgrade on Saturday against the resumption of a controversial lithium mine plan, which is expected to play a crucial role in Europe’s energy transition.
Before the rally in the center of the Serbian capital, two figures of the movement against the plan said they were briefly escorted by members of the security services who warned that any action leading to road closures would be “illegal”.
“I came to Belgrade because we are defending the protection of life in Serbia,” said Slobodan Stanimirovic, a 58-year-old resident of Radjevina, a community near the mine.
The protesters — numbering between 24,000 and 27,000, according to the interior ministry — chanted slogans such as “Rio Tinto, get out of Serbia!” and “thou shalt not dig!” in the rally and march in the center of the Serbian capital.
They then blocked the tracks at Belgrade’s largest railway station, halting train traffic.
Last night Zlatko Kokanovic, one of the leaders of the protesters, announced that the demonstrations will continue.
“We will stay here all night and all day,” insisted Mr. Kokanovic.
Organizations fighting for the protection of the environment say they are ready to block the country’s main roads and start a campaign of civil disobedience if the government refuses to meet their demands and ban the exploitation of lithium deposits.
Serbia has huge lithium deposits, especially near the city of Loznica (in the west), but a controversial plan to operate a mine drawn up by the Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto has divided the country for years.
On July 19, a week after the government gave the green light to mining activities at this mine, Belgrade and the European Union signed an agreement to supply European states with lithium.
The deposits were discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced authorities to abandon the project in 2022.
But the government recently reversed course, following a court ruling last month that revoking the license granted to Rio Tinto did not “comply with the Constitution and the law.”
Lithium is an essential metal for making batteries for electric cars. It is a key element for the automotive industry to make a transition towards greener production.
The plan, however, faces resistance from many Serbs, who fear that exploitation of the deposits will contaminate water sources and aquifers and endanger public health.
The government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly promised that no mining of lithium deposits will begin until after environmental safety protocols are guaranteed.
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