Belgrade, 11 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Thousands of people demonstrated in Belgrade on Saturday against the planned extraction of lithium in Serbia.

Environmentalists argue that this is highly toxic for the environment. Following a call from several environmental protection associations, people gathered in a central square of the Serbian capital under the slogan "There will be no mines."

Some of the protesters also occupied the tracks at two stations in the Serbian capital, thus blocking train traffic there. The police initially did not intervene.

In the run-up to the protest, some leaders of the demonstrators had announced further traffic blockades in the country for the coming days, without providing details.

In recent days, many people in more than 40 Serbian cities had demonstrated against this project.

In the Jadar Valley in western Serbia lies Europe's largest lithium deposit. The raw material is important for the production of electric cars.

In July of this year, Belgrade gave the green light for lithium extraction, having provisionally halted it two years earlier under pressure from environmentalists.

On July 19, in Belgrade, Serbia's government signed a declaration of intent in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, which aims to enable environmentally friendly extraction of the highly sought-after light metal in the Jadar Valley.

Germany and the EU primarily aim to reduce dependence on China with the project. China controls a large part of the extraction and processing of lithium worldwide.

The Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has been interested in this extraction project for years.

"Is it patriotism to help a multinational company, or is true patriotism the fight for clean air, clean land, and water, that nourishes us all in Serbia?" actress Jelena Stupljanin said at the protest rally in Belgrade.

Environmentalists criticize the fact that lithium mining contaminates groundwater with heavy metals and therefore poses a danger to the drinking water supply of local residents.

Photo: MIA