Belgrade protests swell over controversial lithium mining 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 environmental protest, but also a political one, driven by a complete lack of trust in our authorities," says Milosz, a participant of the demonstration, to PAP.

The protest was organised on the day the 40-day deadline for the government to pass a law on the permanent ban on geological exploration and exploitation of lithium and boron in Serbia expired.

Thousands of participants gathered at 18:00 on the central square of Belgrade, from where they started a march towards the busiest bridge over the river Sava. The organisers called on the protesters to block it. According to data from the Serbian Ministry of Interior, approximately 27,000 people protested.

"There is no turning back, we will defend Serbia," emphasised activist Zlatko Kokanović, calling on the gathered 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 issue, and back then we were promised that the matter was closed. Today, I have to take to the streets again because we have been lied to once again," 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 as usual, the people will bear the consequences," adds 25-year-old Jovana.

The protest featured numerous banners, including "Stop Rio Tinto" and "No to digging and exploitation." Participants continuously shouted accusations of betrayal directed at the Serbian authorities.

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

The highest authorities of the country accused the organisers of the protest of wanting 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 colour revolutions, accusing their organisation of "Western services" – Serbian media reported.

Saturday's protest in Belgrade was preceded by demonstrations organised over more than two weeks in many cities across Serbia. They were triggered by the government's decision to reinstate the Jadar project, under which the international conglomerate Rio Tinto will begin exploiting Serbia's lithium deposits. The project was halted at the beginning of 2022 after mass social protests.

On 19 July in Belgrade, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the EU and Serbia on strategic partnership for sustainable raw materials, battery production chains, and electric vehicles. Vučić announced that Serbia could begin extracting the metal in 2028. The deposits located in western Serbia are considered among the largest in Europe.

"Lithium is crucial for electromobility; without it, lithium-ion batteries will not be produced. All major car manufacturers, including German ones, are focusing on electric vehicles and building their own battery factories. In Poland, two plants were also established—one in Biskupice Podgórne, owned by South Korea's LG, and another in Prusice, owned by China's GTHR. The demand for this raw material in our country and its vicinity will grow, especially in the context of phasing out combustion engine cars in the EU," said Dr Ewa Knapik from the Stanisław Staszic AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, in a 2023 interview with money.pl.