Thousands protest in Belgrade against lithium mining project | Protests News

Thousands of people took to the streets of the Serbian capital to protest the restart of a controversial lithium mine that is expected to serve as a vital energy source in Europe's green energy transition.

Ahead of Saturday's rally in Belgrade, two leading protesters said they were briefly detained by security officials who warned that any action to block roads during the demonstration would be considered illegal.

“We came here today to raise our voice against something that goes beyond politics,” popular actress Svetlana Bojkovic said at the rally, where a large crowd chanted “There will be no mining,” among other slogans.

Serbia has vast lithium deposits near the western town of Loznica, where a mining project developed by Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is a continuing political fault line in the Balkan country because of 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 reversed course on the issue, following a court ruling last month that the order to revoke Rio Tinto's permits was unconstitutional and unlawful.

A few days later, the Serbian government gave the green light to restart the projects and signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union, considered the first step in the development of Serbia's lithium resources.

Lithium is a strategically precious metal needed for electric vehicle batteries, making it a critical tool in helping the automotive industry transition to greener production.

The project remains unpopular among many Serbs, however, due to fears that the mine will pollute water sources and endanger public health.

“I am in Belgrade because here we are defending the survival of life in Serbia,” said Slobodan Stanimirovic, a 58-year-old man from Radjevina in western Serbia, near the site of the future mine.

The protest in Belgrade is the latest in a series of demonstrations across Serbia following the reinstatement of mining licenses.

Activists and protesters have called on lawmakers to pass a law permanently banning lithium and boron mining in the country.

Al Jazeera's Jelena Glusac, reporting from Belgrade on Saturday, said more people took part in the protest against the mining project than in recent rallies on other issues, including demonstrations last year after two mass shootings.

It seems that lithium [mine proposal] managed to bring together more people than any other topic, Glusac said.

Environmental groups have said they are prepared to block major traffic arteries across Serbia and engage in civil disobedience if the government refuses to act by an August 10 deadline set by activists.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly promised that no mining operations will begin until guarantees regarding environmental safety protocols are established.

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