Serbia: Protests in Belgrade Against Lithium Mining “Aimed at Overthrowing Government”

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the main goal of the protest demonstration planned by environmentalists in Belgrade on Saturday, August 10, against the lithium mining project in the Balkan country “is to destabilize the political, economic, and social situation in Serbia and, as a consequence, to overthrow the legitimate government.”

Vucic emphasized that “the government is not overthrown in the streets, but is elected by voting.” According to the Serbian leader, the protest was announced because of “alleged concerns” about hypothetical environmental damage. For Vucic, this is a false and biased reason because “few people know what the lithium mine will be like” where the mineral “will not be extracted for at least two more years.”

While environmental organizations led by the Ne Damo Jadar (Don’t Give Up Jadar) movement are urging Serbian authorities to pass a law banning lithium mining in the Jadar River Valley, Serbia and Germany signed a memorandum of understanding in July to export the crucial mineral for the production of electric cars and thus for the energy transition.

To calm public opinion, Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, on the eve of the protests, opened a call center for citizens who want to receive objective information about the lithium mining project in Jadar.

“Everything will be done as if we were members of the European Union. We will demand that the manufacturing company adhere to the strictest safety criteria,” the Minister said personally to the first Serbs who called the Center. So far, more than 150 people have sold their property to allow exploration work to proceed. Djedovic Handanovic emphasized that “there is no need for further sales.” Mining, health, and environmental experts will answer citizen inquiries every business day from 9:00 to 15:00 local time.