A protest organized by environmental associations from Serbia due to the announcement of the opening of a lithium mine in the Jadra valley and the mining company "Rio Tinto" was held in Belgrade. Those associations organized the protest on the day of the expiration of the 40-day deadline, which they set for the Government of Serbia to adopt the law on the permanent ban on geological research and exploitation of lithium and boron in Serbia. They followed the days before the meeting increased tensions, arrests and accusations of the authorities for "destroying the constitutional order".
The organizers announced earlier that their demand is to enact a law on the permanent ban on lithium and boron mining in Serbia, and one of the organizers, the president of the association "Ne damo Jadar", Zlatko Kokanović, said on Saturday evening that the blockades will last until that demand is fulfilled .
A meeting was held at the Presidency of Serbia, where the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, discussed the situation regarding the protest and taking further steps with his associates.
Vučić will address the citizens on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Palace of Serbia, the Office for Cooperation with the Media of the President announced.
07:57 Dacic: Enabled smooth development of railway traffic
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić stated that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Serbia and its legal powers, enabled the smooth development of railway traffic. He again announced the criminal charges.
07:50 Tepić: With cordons on citizens, as if they are the worst terrorists
SSP Vice-President Marinika Tepić, who spent the night at the Prokop station, tells N1 that, according to her estimates, about 200 policemen in full gear and at least 40-50 more in civilian clothes were sent, which they could spot.
As he says, cordons were sent against the citizens, as if they were the worst terrorists.
06:20 The police evicted citizens from the Prokop station
On Sunday morning, the police kicked out citizens from the Prokop station. Activists Ivan Bjelic and Nikola Ristic, who did not want to leave Prokop, were taken into custody by the police, Marinika Tepic reported for N1.
Those gathered say that, according to their estimates, there were about 200 members of the police. There were at least 50 of them with phantom girls in civilian clothes, according to eyewitnesses.
23:44 From Prokop they invite people to join them and bring water
As the "Vremena" reporter reports from the scene, part of the citizens are still blocking the tracks at the Main Railway Station and intend to remain there until further notice. They invite citizens to join them and bring water.
As previously announced, the railway is also blocked at the Novi Beograd railway station. The organizers of the protest announced that they will remain at the barricades until the demands are met, as well as that three to five more points in the country will be blocked from tomorrow.
The editors of "Vremena" hereby sign off tonight. Starting tomorrow, you can follow the continuation of the protest against lithium on our portal.
Photo: TimeCitizens block the railway
23.10 Dacic: We will file criminal and misdemeanor charges
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic said that after the end of the protest in Terazije, there was a serious violation of public order and peace and violations of the law.
Read more about it in separate news.
22.53 The Prime Minister called the participants of the protest a disbanded gang
The Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, on the occasion of tonight's protest against the lithium mine, said that "for the umpteenth time, they have shown that they really care about the environment and people's health."
He called the demonstrators a disbanded gang, and again mentioned the alleged calls for the death of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Read more about it in separate news.
22.26 Kokanović: Three to five more blocked points from tomorrow
Zlatko Kokanović stated that, after the blockade of Prokop and Novi Beograd Railway Station, from tomorrow there will be three to five more points of railway traffic in several places in Serbia.
He called on all organizers in local communities to join and block key points in their places.
"We stay here all night and all day." If it takes seven days. When we all get together, we go out on the rails and stay there," said Kokanović.
22.23 How is it according to the timetable
Traffic at the Main Railway Station was interrupted around 21:30, and according to the station timetable, seven trains were supposed to arrive at Prokop from that moment. Five trains were supposed to depart from the Main Railway Station in the same period.
Seven trains were supposed to depart from Novi Beograd Railway Station, and the same number of trains were supposed to arrive at this station.
The organizers of the protest announced that they will remain on the tracks "until further notice".
Photo: TimeBlockade in Prokop
22.09 Blocked track at Novi Beograd Railway Station
Zlatko Kokanović from the association "Ne damo Jadar" said in New Belgrade that Prokop and this station were chosen as the only two points of railway traffic in Belgrade.
"We said that we will not harass our citizens." Although a part of people travel by train, they are fewer. And from tomorrow, he had three to five points of railway traffic in several places in Serbia. We call on all organizations that everyone in their place where they have a key point, to block it. "Serbia must stop in order to stand up again," he said, stressing that when everyone gets together, they will get back on track.
He added that he will stay in New Belgrade for the whole night, and if necessary for seven days.
22.00 The traffic police regulates the traffic at the Novi Beograd railway station
As reported by the N1 reporter who is at the Novi Beograd Railway Station, apart from the two stationary trains, there are also two traffic police cars.
The assumption is that the police vehicles headed towards New Belgrade since the people also headed in that direction, in order to regulate traffic.
21.46 Gazelle is also blocked
Citizens protesting against lithium mining stopped traffic on Gazela tonight.
21.35 Demonstrators entered Prokop
A group of protesters entered the Prokop building and headed towards the tracks. The railway is blocked, and according to the first information, students are in charge.
As reported by N1, the railway line is blocked in both directions, and the protesters announced that they had previously informed Serbian Railways about the blockade.
Photo: TimeBlocked railway in Prokop
21.11 Archive of public meetings: Approximately 40.000 people protested
"At tonight's protest in Belgrade against lithium mining, according to currently available material, approximately 40.000 people gathered. We remind you that 17.000 people gathered at Terazije in Belgrade at the protest of the ProGlas initiative in December of last year," wrote on the social network X from the Association Archives of Public Meetings, which publishes estimates of the number of people at public meetings since 2019.
The association's previous estimate was that there would be "no less than 30.000 people" at the protest.
Photo: TimePeople on the Gazelle Bridge
21.05 Kokanović: Half to Prokop, half to New Belgrade
Zlatko Kokanović has just called the demonstrators to divide into two columns. One column should go to the "Belgrade Center" Railway Station, better known as Prokop. The second column will move towards the "Novi Beograd" railway station.
20.55 Kokanović: Everything must be a surprise
Zlatko Kokanović, when asked by the N1 journalist what the next steps were, said that everything must be a surprise.
"Everything will be a surprise." Since they give us surprises, we have to surprise them too. The authorities told us that in 2022 they canceled the ordinance because of the street. Here, people came out on the street again. I believe it will bear fruit. I believe in the people behind me, who came here alone, to pay for fuel with their own money, unlike those who bring circuses by bus," said Kokanović.
He is convinced that the law on the prohibition of exploitation and expression will be repealed.
"There is no going back, because Serbia is back," he said.
Photo: FoNet/Zoran MrđaKokanović and Petković
20.43 Biljana Stojković (Together): Every protest is political
The co-president of the party Zajedno Biljana Stojković told "Vreme" that she would like the presence of people of different ideological orientations at the protest to mean that the future will bring people to understand each other.
"Of course, I have my own ideological direction, and so do people on the right. But it is important that we understand each other and that we can absolutely agree on some topics. It was not clear until now, the hand was not extended due to various problems, but this is now the thing that will overcome it all," said the "Vremena" interlocutor.
She said that the messages of the protest speakers should always be repeated.
"It's time, and that's what Zlatko said, to stay until the demands are met, because occasional walks really don't work."
Although messages were received from the speakers that the protest against lithium was not political, the co-president of the Zajedno party pointed out that this was not the case.
"Every protest is political." I understand that they want to achieve general unity and that is why ideological differences are not mentioned. That's clear to everyone, but it's also clear that it has to take shape politically," Stojković stressed.
Photo: TimeBiljana Stojković
20.18 Kokanović invited citizens to go to Gazela
Zlatko Kokanović from the association "Ne damo Jadar" invited the protest participants to walk to the Gazela bridge, where he announced that they would be divided into two columns. He appealed that the walk to the bridge be dignified and pass without any incidents.
At the beginning, he said, there will be activists from environmental associations. They will continue to lead these protests.
He asked everyone to take care of their safety and that the goal tonight is to defend Serbia.
It is still not known whether the organizers plan to block this bridge.
Photo: TimeZlatko Kokanović
20.08 A minute of silence for academician Vladimir Stevanović
Actress Jelena Stupljanin invited the crowd to observe a minute of silence for the deceased academician Vladimir Stepanović.
20.00 Dragana Đorđević: The first and only mine in a populated place
Lithium mining is done in deserts. This would be the first and only mine in a populated, fertile, watery, living place, said professor of the Faculty of Chemistry Dragana Đorđević, the fourth speaker at tonight's protest.
She reminded the citizens that Serbian mining rent is the lowest, that labor is cheap, there is little concern for the environment, and that this is the reason why companies want to open mines here - because their profits will be high.
"Science has already said that the most destructive way to exploit lithium is from mines, because today lithium is exploited in several ways. Most of it is in South America, Australia has a lot of it, America has it, but today lithium mining is done in deserts and uninhabited areas of the planet. In our country, this would be the first unique mine in a populated place, in a fertile place, a water place, a living place. They are trying to deceive us that the mine is underground, that it is deep and that it is not a problem for the environment. That is not true!", emphasized the professor.
Photo: TimeProfessor Dragana Đorđević
19.55 Ceca Bojković: We defend our survival in our country
The demonstrators greeted the third speaker, the famous actress Svetlana Ceca Bojković, with thunderous applause.
"How can we believe the fierce campaign for lithium mining today, when the same government accuses and insults all those who agree with its interests?" she said.
"Is this how people are loved, is this how Serbia is loved... Or maybe a Serbia without people - in the future." It seems that he is hiding from us and we are sacrificed like some dirty dump. We will not allow that. That is why we are here today to raise our voices. We do not agree to that and we defend our survival in our country," said the famous actress.
Photo: TimeSvetlana Ceca Bojković
19.45 Ljiljana Bralović: Sacrificed Serbs from Kosovo, Jadra, Bor, Majdanpek
The writer and activist Ljiljana Bralović prepared the crowd for Aleksandar Vučić's sentence that "they will not sacrifice more people than was originally planned."
"You certainly don't know this." Aleksandar Vučić uttered exactly the same sentence in Visoki Dečani to Bishop Sava that he could not sacrifice Serbs from the north because of a handful of Serbs from the south, and today they are all sacrificed. Why am I telling you this? Well, because today people from Jadra, Bor, Majdanpek were sacrificed, and tomorrow you will be sacrificed!" she said.
Photo: TimeLjiljana Bralović
19.40 Archive of public gatherings: At least 30.000 people at Terazije
"According to the current image we have from Terazi around 19:35, we do not believe that there will be less than 30.000 people, which is almost twice as many as at the Proclamation protest. The number is constantly increasing," they wrote on the social network X from the association Archives of Public Gatherings, which has been publishing estimates of the number of people present at public gatherings since 2019.
19.29 People from New Belgrade have been going to Terazije for an hour
Thousands of citizens from the direction of Novi Belgrade have been going to Terazije for an hour to participate in the protest against lithium mining.
Bus traffic is functioning, but all buses are full, so it is impossible to get on them at the stops near the "Ušće" shopping center, which is why citizens go to the city on the sidewalks on both sides of the Branko bridge, reports FoNet.
19.26 Jelena Stupljanin: Patriotism is a fight for a clean country that feeds us all
Actress Jelena Stupljanin said at the beginning of the protest that true patriotism is the fight for clean air, for clean water, for a clean land that feeds all of us in Serbia.
"We are tucked into the conformity that big cities have." We buy fruits and vegetables in the store. But we mustn't forget that someone there cultivates their fields, so that we have food. Those people essentially live from nature," she said.
Thousands of citizens unanimously shout "betrayal, betrayal" at Jelena Stupljanin's words that "they want to convince us that profit is more important than life".
She reminded the crowd that "Jadar is ours", which was accompanied by thunderous applause.
"We all live in Jadro and vice versa. And that's why let's unitedly, courageously, loudly fight for what we all firmly believe in. Jadar is not for sale! You will not dig!” she said.
The citizens responded with loud shouts "You won't dig! You will not dig!".
Photo: TimeJelena Stupljanin
19.20 An endless column on Terazije
According to "Vremena" reporters, a huge number of people are present at the protest. Although there are still no official estimates, the drone footage does not show the end of the column that starts at the "Moscow" hotel. Due to the crowd, it was difficult to move among the protesters, so it took 20 minutes for the "Vremena" journalist to get to this hotel from Nikola Pašić Square.
The interlocutor of N1 television, assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Marko Vujić, estimated that the number was at least 30.000 people.
Photo: TimeBanners at the protest
19.08 Topalko, one of the guards
One of the stewards at the protest is the singer Milan Topalović Topalko, who came into the public spotlight two months ago when he criticized the frequent appearances of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on television, which is why he could not perform in the popular Šarenica on RTS.
People at the protest approach and congratulate the popular singer, reports the reporter of "Vremena". "Congratulations musician, you have everything a man should have."
Photo: TimeMilan Topalović Topalko
18.45 Participants of all ages participated in the protest
As the "Vremena" reporter reports from the scene, there are people of all ages at the protest - from children to grandfathers with shacks.
There are also citizens of different ideological and party orientations, so some participants heard how the "fake opposition" is taking advantage of these protests.
18.29 Pink: A coup is being prepared
In the National Diary of "Pink" television today, one of the news items is tonight's protest against lithium mining, which they call an "attempted coup".
"The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that the Russian security services warned him that mass riots are being prepared in Serbia, the ultimate goal of which is a coup d'état and the overthrow of the country's legitimately elected leadership. In the meantime, a recording from the Space application has been leaked to the public, on which the extremists who are planning to gather tonight under the guise of fighting for ecology, are talking about acquiring weapons," they say on Pink TV.
One of the interviewees of this television was Saša Milovanović, the director of Serbian Telegraph, who said that it was clear that it was a "hybrid action, a ready action to get to Vučić's head - literally".
"These announcements that we receive as a country from the Russian services and some other services are very dangerous and very precise. It can be seen that a new 5th of October, a new Maidan, is actually being prepared there. That they should be ready for anything, that traffic roads should be blocked for two or three days, that they should, I don't know, tie themselves to the rails and everything else... The background of that whole story is not lithium, but Vučić," Milovanović said.
18.00 The gathering of citizens has begun
Although the protest officially starts at 19 p.m., citizens have already started arriving in front of the "Moskva" hotel. Among them are the activists of the association "Ne damo Jadar" Zlatko Kokanović and Nebojša Petković, who today invited to an interview to the Security Information Agency (BIA). As they later announced, they were warned there that the planned blocking of roads after the protest was a criminal offense and that in that case they should be prepared to bear the consequences.
Photo: FoNet/Velimir IlićPeople are slowly gathering on Terazije
Ahead of the arrest protest
Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic said on Friday, August 9 that the police in Subotica, in cooperation with the Security and Information Agency (BIA), arrested four people, who are suspected of planning to cause violence and disorder at tonight's protest in Belgrade.
"The police in Subotica, in cooperation with the BIA, arrested four persons, DR (1978), ZC (1989), SVT (1986) and DE (1983), who planned to attack the police and cause violence and disorder at the protest on Saturday in Belgrade, with which they prepared an attack on the constitutional system. All this can be seen from their correspondence. The persons will be handed over to the prosecutor's office for further action," said Dacic, as reported by the MUP.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced earlier that day that the Russian security services had warned that mass riots are being prepared in Serbia, whose ultimate goal is a coup d'état and the overthrow of the country's legitimately elected leadership.
On the other hand, activists warn that elements, provocateurs and thugs may be included in tonight's protest. They ask those present not to fall for provocations. They urged people not to come alone and not to bring alcohol or any sharp/dangerous objects to the protest.
