Protesters say they fear that the project by mining giant Rio Tinto will pollute water sources and put public health at risk.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the Serbian capital to protest the restart of a controversial lithium mine that will serve as a vital energy source in Europe’s green energy transition.
Ahead of Saturday’s rally in Belgrade, two leading protest figures said they were briefly detained by security authorities who warned that any move to block roads during the demonstration would be considered illegal.
“We came here today to raise our voice against something that is 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 city 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 due to its potential environmental impacts.
The deposits were discovered in 2004, but weeks of mass protests forced the government to suspend the project in 2022.
But the government recently did a U-turn on the issue, following a court ruling last month that said the order revoking the 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 key to helping the auto industry shift to greener production.
The project, however, continued to be unpopular among many in Serbia due to concerns that the mine could 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 mine licenses were reinstated.
Activists and protesters have called on lawmakers to pass 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 demonstrations on other issues, including demonstrations last year following two mass shootings.
“It appears that lithium [mine proposal] it managed to bring together more people than any other topic,” said Glusac.
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 the 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.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
