Tens of Thousands Protest in Belgrade against Rio Tinto's Lithium Mine

Tens of thousands of people protested in central Belgrade on Saturday, demanding that Rio Tinto's lithium project in western Serbia be halted due to environmental concerns, Reuters reports.

Protesters packed the streets of the Serbian capital, waving Serbian flags and chanting "Rio Tinto, get out of Serbia!".

Government officials said that the protests were politically motivated and aimed at overthrowing President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.

Protest leader Zlatko Kokanovic, who is a farmer from the Jadar region where the mine is planned to be built, called on protesters to block two major railway stations in Belgrade.

Last month, Serbia renewed Rio Tinto's licence to develop Europe's largest lithium mine. This comes two years after the previous government halted the process due to concerns from environmental groups.

The decision sparked nationwide protests in cities across Serbia. The protesters gave the government a deadline to ban lithium exploration and mining, which expired on Saturday.

Source: Getty Images

On Friday, President Vucic said that the authorities had received information from Russia that a coup d'état was being planned in Serbia.

The $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project could cover 90% of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's leading lithium producers.

Lithium is a key component of batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices.

Government officials say the lithium mine will boost Serbia's economy, but environmentalists say the cost will be too high.

On 19 July, President Vucic, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Energy Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič signed an agreement that will give EU manufacturers access to raw materials mined in Serbia, including lithium. The agreement aims to reduce the EU's dependence on imports from America and Asia.