BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday for a demonstration against lithium mining in serbia despite warnings from officials about their alleged conspiracy to populist president Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Vucic said earlier that Russian intelligence had tipped him off that “mass unrest and a coup” were being prepared in Serbia on Saturday by unknown Western powers seeking to oust him from power.
The large crowd chanted “There will be no mining” and “Treason, treason.”
Government officials and state-controlled media have launched a major campaign against the demonstration, comparing it to the Maidan uprising in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, which led to the fall of the Ukrainian government. then pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2013. The organizers of the protest in Belgrade said the protest would be peaceful.
“Our demonstration today is ecological in nature and has no political ambitions, but the government accuses us of trying to carry out a coup,” said popular actress Svetlana Bojkovic.
“We have come here today to raise our voices against something that goes beyond politics.”
The demonstration in the center of the capital follows weeks of protests in dozens of cities across Serbia against a government plan to allow lithium mining in a lush agricultural valley in the country’s west.
The plan was scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations, including the blocking of key bridges and roads, were held. But it was revived last month and given a boost in a preliminary deal on “critical raw materials” signed by Vucic’s government with the European Union.
The Balkan nation formally seeks EU membership, but at the same time maintains close ties with both Russia and China. The EU’s memorandum on mining lithium and other key materials needed for the green transition would bring Serbia closer to the bloc and reduce Europe’s imports of lithium batteries and electric cars from China.
While the government insists the mine offers an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would cause irreparable pollution of the Jadar Valley, along with vital underground water reserves and agricultural land.
Locals in the valley are fiercely opposed to the mine, which would be operated by multinational mining company Rio Tinto. Both the government and the company have promised the highest environmental standards in the mining process, but opponents are not convinced.
Tens of thousands of people have turned out for environmental rallies across Serbia in recent weeks, posing a major challenge to Vucic and his increasingly autistic rule. Opponents want the government to formally ban all lithium and boron mining across the country.
The government has set up a medical team to monitor potential health risks and a call center where citizens can voice their concerns, in what appears to be an attempt to dampen 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 also develop a “value chain” in the country related to battery and electric vehicle production to help develop new technologies.
However, residents of the Jadar Valley said nothing could convince them to agree to the mine. They said they were prepared to do anything to prevent the mine from opening.
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Associated Press editor Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this story.
