Serbia: Hundreds block major highways in latest protest against lithium mine plans
Serbs block major highways in latest protest against lithium mine plans, 15 January 2022
...Hundreds of people...blocked the main north-south highway in Belgrade for more than an hour. Other roads, including one by Serbia's border with Bosnia, also were blocked...
Environmental groups want the government to halt any lithium mining in western Serbia and have pledged to press on with demonstrations until their demands are met. Groups want the Rio Tinto mining company “expelled” from Serbia.
Thousands joined similar demonstrations several weeks ago, forcing the government to withdraw two laws that activists said were designed to speed up mining projects...
Environmental issues have become a public concern for Serbs amid bad air pollution, poor waste management, and other environmental problems that have accumulated after decades of neglect.