Protesters filled the streets leading to Terazije Square, waving Serbian flags and chanting “No digging!” and “Rio Tinto, leave Serbia!”
Government officials said the protests were politically motivated and designed to overthrow President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
Protest leader Zlatko Kokanovic, a farmer from the Jadar region where the mine is planned, urged protesters to block two major train stations in Belgrade.
Last month, Serbia reinstated Rio’s license to develop what would be Europe’s largest lithium mine, two years after the previous government halted the process due to concerns from environmental groups.
The decision sparked nationwide protests in cities across Serbia. Protesters gave the government a deadline to ban lithium exploration and exploitation, which expired on Saturday.
“We will not give up. The mine cannot be built on agricultural land,” says Mica Miliovanovic, a 63-year-old worker. “This has nothing to do with politics.”
On Friday, Vucic said authorities had received information from Russia that a coup was being planned in Serbia.
“We have reason to be cautious,” Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin told the Tanjug news agency on Saturday.
If implemented, the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project could meet 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world’s leading lithium producers.
Lithium is a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices.
Government officials say the lithium mine would boost Serbia’s economy, but environmentalists say the price would be too high.
On July 19, Vucic, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Energy Commissioner Maros Sefcovic signed an agreement that would grant producers in EU member states access to raw materials mined in Serbia, including lithium.
The agreement aims to reduce the EU’s dependence on imports from America and Asia.
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