Aug 11, 2024
BELGRADE - Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Saturday demanding a halt to Rio Tinto's lithium project in Western Serbia over fears it could pollute nearby land and water.
Protesters packed the streets leading to Terazije square, waving Serbian flags and chanting "You will not dig," and "Rio Tinto leave Serbia!"
Government officials said the protests were politically motivated and designed to bring down President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Zlatko Kokanovic, a protest leader and farmer from the Jadar region where the mine is planned, urged protesters to block two major train stations in Belgrade.
Last month, Serbia reinstated Rio's licence to develop what would be Europe's biggest lithium mine, two years after the previous government halted the process due to concerns by environmental groups.
The decision triggered nationwide protests in towns across Serbia. Protesters gave the government a deadline to ban the exploration and exploitation of lithium which expired on Saturday.
"We are not going to give up. The mine cannot be built on agricultural land," said Mica Miliovanovic, a 63-year old worker. "This does not have anything to do with politics."
On Friday, Vucic said authorities had received information from Russia that a coup was being planned in Serbia.
"We have reason to be cautious," vice premier Aleksandar Vulin told Tanjug news agency on Saturday.
If implemented, the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project could cover 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's leading lithium producers.
Lithium is a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices.
Government officials say the lithium mine would boost Serbia's economy, but environmentalists say the price for it would be too high.
On July 19, Vucic, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic signed a deal that would grant producers from EU member states access to raw materials mined in Serbia, which would include lithium.
The deal is meant to reduce the EU's dependency on imports from America and Asia.
REUTERS
Thousands protest in Serbia’s Belgrade against lithium mining project
Protesters say they fear project by mining giant Rio Tinto would pollute water sources and endanger public health.
Published On 10 Aug 2024
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Serbian capital to protest against the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital power source in Europe’s green energy transition.
In advance of Saturday’s rally in Belgrade, two leading protest figures said they were briefly detained by security officials who warned that any moves to block roads during the demonstration would be seen as illegal.
“We came here today to raise our voice against something that is beyond politics,” popular actor Svetlana Bojkovic said from the rally, where a large crowd chanted “There will be no mining”, among other slogans.
Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western city of Loznica, where a mining project being developed by the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been a perennial political fault line in the Balkan country over its potential environmental impacts.
The deposits were discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced the government to halt the project in 2022.
But the government recently made a U-turn on the issue following a court decision last month that said the order to revoke the permits awarded to Rio Tinto was “not in line with the constitution and the law”.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Thousands protest lithium mining in Serbia
August 10, 2024
By Associated Press
Tens of thousands gathered Saturday for a rally against lithium mining in Serbia despite officials' warnings of their alleged plot to topple populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Vucic said earlier he had been tipped by the Russian intelligence services that a "mass unrest and a coup" were being prepared Saturday in Serbia by unspecified Western powers that wish to oust him from power.
The big crowd chanted "There Will Be No Mining" and "Treason, Treason."
Government officials and the state-controlled media have launched a major campaign against the rally, comparing it to the Maidan uprising in Ukraine's capital Kyiv that led to the toppling of the country's then pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2013. Organizers of the Belgrade protest have said the protest would be peaceful.
"Our rally today is ecological and has no political ambitions, but the government has accused us of seeking to stage a coup," said popular actor Svetlana Bojkovic.
"We came here today to raise our voice against something that is beyond politics."
The rally in the downtown of the capital comes after weeks of protests in dozens of cities throughout Serbia against a government plan to allow lithium mining in a lush farming valley in the west of the country.
This plan had been scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations were held that included blocking of the key bridges and roads. But it was revived last month and received a boost in a tentative deal on "critical raw materials" signed by Vucic's government with the European Union.
The Balkan nation is formally seeking EU membership while maintaining very close ties with both Russia and China. The EU memorandum on the mining of lithium and other key materials needed for green transition would bring Serbia closer to the bloc and would reduce Europe's lithium battery and electric car imports from China.
While the government insists the mine is an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would inflict irreparable pollution on the Jadar valley, along with its crucial underground water reserves and farming land.
Locals in the valley are strongly opposed to the mine that would be operated by multinational Rio Tinto mining company. Both the government and the company have pledged to have the highest environmental standards in the mining process, but opponents haven't been convinced.
Tens of thousands have turned out for environment protection rallies held throughout Serbia in the past weeks posing a major challenge to Vucic and his increasingly autocratic rule. Opponents want the government to formally outlaw any lithium and boron mining in the entire country.
The government has set up a medical team to monitor any potential health hazards and a call center that citizens can contact to voice their concerns, an apparent bid to sway some of the opposition.
Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic told The Associated Press earlier this week in an interview that Serbia would not only export raw materials but would develop a "value chain" in the country linked to producing batteries and electric vehicles to help develop new technologies.
Residents of the Jadar valley, however, said nothing could persuade them to agree to the mine. They said they were ready to do everything to prevent the mine from opening.
Protesters say they fear project by mining giant Rio Tinto would pollute water sources and endanger public health.
People attend a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, against a lithium mining project in the Balkan country [Zorana Jevtic/Reuters]
Published On 10 Aug 2024
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Serbian capital to protest against the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital power source in Europe’s green energy transition.
In advance of Saturday’s rally in Belgrade, two leading protest figures said they were briefly detained by security officials who warned that any moves to block roads during the demonstration would be seen as illegal.
“We came here today to raise our voice against something that is beyond politics,” popular actor Svetlana Bojkovic said from the rally, where a large crowd chanted “There will be no mining”, among other slogans.
Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western city of Loznica, where a mining project being developed by the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been a perennial political fault line in the Balkan country over its potential environmental impacts.
The deposits were discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced the government to halt the project in 2022.
But the government recently made a U-turn on the issue following a court decision last month that said the order to revoke the permits awarded to Rio Tinto was “not in line with the constitution and the law”.
People attend the protest in Belgrade against the lithium mine [Darko Vojinovic/AP Photo]
Days later, the Serbian government greenlit the project’s restart and signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union that is seen as the first step in developing Serbia’s lithium resources.
Lithium is a strategically valuable metal needed for electric vehicle batteries, making it key for helping the car industry shift to greener production.
The project, however, has continued to be unpopular with many in Serbia due to concerns the mine would pollute water sources and endanger public health.
“I am in Belgrade because the survival of life in Serbia is being defended here,” said Slobodan Stanimirovic, a 58-year-old from western Serbia’s Radjevina, near the site of the future mine.
The protest in Belgrade was the latest in a series of demonstrations held across Serbia after the mine’s licences were reinstated.
Activists and demonstrators have called on legislators to pass a law permanently banning the mining of lithium and boron in the country.
Reporting from Belgrade on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Jelena Glusac said more people joined the protest against the mining project than recent rallies on other issues, including demonstrations last year following two mass shootings.
“It seems like the lithium [mine proposal] managed to gather more people than any other subject,” Glusac said.
Environmental groups said they were prepared to block major traffic arteries across Serbia and engage in civil disobedience if the government refused to act before an August 10 deadline set by activists.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly pledged that no mining operations will begin until guarantees about environmental safety protocols are established.
Days later, the Serbian government greenlit the project’s restart and signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union that is seen as the first step in developing Serbia’s lithium resources.
Lithium is a strategically valuable metal needed for electric vehicle batteries, making it key for helping the car industry shift to greener production.
The project, however, has continued to be unpopular with many in Serbia due to concerns the mine would pollute water sources and endanger public health.
“I am in Belgrade because the survival of life in Serbia is being defended here,” said Slobodan Stanimirovic, a 58-year-old from western Serbia’s Radjevina, near the site of the future mine.
The protest in Belgrade was the latest in a series of demonstrations held across Serbia after the mine’s licences were reinstated.
Activists and demonstrators have called on legislators to pass a law permanently banning the mining of lithium and boron in the country.
Reporting from Belgrade on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Jelena Glusac said more people joined the protest against the mining project than recent rallies on other issues, including demonstrations last year following two mass shootings.
“It seems like the lithium [mine proposal] managed to gather more people than any other subject,” Glusac said.
Environmental groups said they were prepared to block major traffic arteries across Serbia and engage in civil disobedience if the government refused to act before an August 10 deadline set by activists.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly pledged that no mining operations will begin until guarantees about environmental safety protocols are established.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Thousands protest lithium mining in Serbia
August 10, 2024
By Associated Press
People hold banners reading, "We Won't Give up Jadar!" and march during a protest against pollution and the exploitation of a lithium mine in the country in Belgrade, Serbia, Aug. 10, 2024.
Tens of thousands gathered Saturday for a rally against lithium mining in Serbia despite officials' warnings of their alleged plot to topple populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Vucic said earlier he had been tipped by the Russian intelligence services that a "mass unrest and a coup" were being prepared Saturday in Serbia by unspecified Western powers that wish to oust him from power.
The big crowd chanted "There Will Be No Mining" and "Treason, Treason."
Government officials and the state-controlled media have launched a major campaign against the rally, comparing it to the Maidan uprising in Ukraine's capital Kyiv that led to the toppling of the country's then pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2013. Organizers of the Belgrade protest have said the protest would be peaceful.
"Our rally today is ecological and has no political ambitions, but the government has accused us of seeking to stage a coup," said popular actor Svetlana Bojkovic.
"We came here today to raise our voice against something that is beyond politics."
The rally in the downtown of the capital comes after weeks of protests in dozens of cities throughout Serbia against a government plan to allow lithium mining in a lush farming valley in the west of the country.
This plan had been scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations were held that included blocking of the key bridges and roads. But it was revived last month and received a boost in a tentative deal on "critical raw materials" signed by Vucic's government with the European Union.
The Balkan nation is formally seeking EU membership while maintaining very close ties with both Russia and China. The EU memorandum on the mining of lithium and other key materials needed for green transition would bring Serbia closer to the bloc and would reduce Europe's lithium battery and electric car imports from China.
While the government insists the mine is an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would inflict irreparable pollution on the Jadar valley, along with its crucial underground water reserves and farming land.
Locals in the valley are strongly opposed to the mine that would be operated by multinational Rio Tinto mining company. Both the government and the company have pledged to have the highest environmental standards in the mining process, but opponents haven't been convinced.
Tens of thousands have turned out for environment protection rallies held throughout Serbia in the past weeks posing a major challenge to Vucic and his increasingly autocratic rule. Opponents want the government to formally outlaw any lithium and boron mining in the entire country.
The government has set up a medical team to monitor any potential health hazards and a call center that citizens can contact to voice their concerns, an apparent bid to sway some of the opposition.
Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic told The Associated Press earlier this week in an interview that Serbia would not only export raw materials but would develop a "value chain" in the country linked to producing batteries and electric vehicles to help develop new technologies.
Residents of the Jadar valley, however, said nothing could persuade them to agree to the mine. They said they were ready to do everything to prevent the mine from opening.
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