Tens of thousands of people demonstrated at key locations in central Belgrade on Saturday evening, demanding an end to a planned lithium mining project in western Serbia, saying it could pollute nearby farmland and water.
The massive project involving British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has EU backing and aims to significantly reduce Europe’s shortage of domestic sources of the metal, which is essential for making things like electric car batteries and smartphones.
Protesters waved Serbian flags and chanted slogans such as “You will not drill” and “Rio Tinto leaves Serbia!”
Government accuses protesters of ulterior motives
The government of President Aleksandar Vucic said the protests were politically motivated and aimed at ousting Vucic. The government had claimed the day before, though it provided few details, that it had been warned of plans for a coup from Russia.
“Our demonstrations today are environmental and have no political ambitions, but the government has accused us of trying to carry out a coup,” actress Svetlana Bojkovic said at the demonstration.
Zlatko Kokanovic, a protest leader and farmer from the Jadar region in western Serbia where the mine is planned, called on demonstrators to block two of the city’s main train stations.
Vucic controversially reinstated Rio Tinto’s licence to continue operating what was set to be Europe’s largest lithium mine last month, after Serbia’s previous government scrapped the plans.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was part of a European delegation that travelled to Belgrade to welcome the relaunch and seek access to the spoils.
Europe currently imports most of its lithium needs from the United States and Asia.
Serbia is seeking to join the European Union but still faces many major obstacles, the most important of which is its relationship with Kosovo.
The deadline given by the protesters to refreeze the plans has expired.
Protesters in Serbia had given the government a deadline to cancel the mining project again, and the deadline expired on Saturday, hence the protests.
If the project goes ahead as planned, the $2.4 billion (around €2.2 billion) Gadar mine is expected to cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world’s largest lithium producers.
The company and the Serbian government say the highest environmental standards will be maintained in the fertile agricultural region, but that has not convinced opponents.
While the metal is essential for making things like electric cars, allowing personal transportation with no carbon emissions at the point of use, the other environmental costs of extracting it can be high.
msh/sms (AFP, Reuters)
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