Lithium: Crowds protest in Serbia against mining

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

Ahead of Saturday’s rally in Belgrade, two of the main protest figures said they were briefly detained by security officials who warned that any move to block roads during the demonstration would be seen as illegal.

“We came here today to raise our voices against something that is beyond politics,” said popular actress Svetlana Bojkovic 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 being developed by 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 ruling last month that said the order to revoke licenses granted to Rio Tinto was “not in accordance with the constitution and the law”.

Days later, the Serbian government gave the green light to restart the project 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 critical to helping the auto industry shift to greener production.

The project, however, remained unpopular among many in Serbia due to concerns that 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 man from Radjevina in western Serbia, 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 licenses were reinstated.

Activists and protesters have called on lawmakers to adopt a law that would permanently ban lithium and boron mining 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 after two mass shootings.

“It seems that lithium [proposta minha] managed to bring together 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 promised that no mining operations will begin until guarantees on environmental safety protocols are established.

Via News Agencies