Environmental Protest Rally Takes Place in Belgrade

Environmental Protest (BETAPHOTO: AMIR HAMZAGIC)

A protest rally organized by the Get Going for Change initiative and the Alliance of Environmental Organizations of Serbia, with the demand for a permanent ban on boron and lithium exploration and exploitation in Serbian territory, was held outside the Serbian government building in the evening on Feb. 3.

Get Going for Change initiative representative Savo Manojlovic called on the authorities to look at the gathered people, none of whom had come to the rally because of, as he put it, "a party membership card or a bigger salary."

He reiterated that there would be another gathering in downtown Belgrade next week if the government did not adopt their demand for a permanent ban on lithium and boron exploration and mining in all of Serbia until then.

Manojlovic also said that during the protest, which according to him the Interior Ministry had prohibited, traffic had been regulated by "honorable people from the police," adding that this allowed the crowd to march peacefully. He thanked them for that and called on the protesters to do the same with an applause.

The rally began outside the parliament building, across the street from the Presidency building, and the crowd soon blocked the street between the two edifices. They carried banners reading "Stop investors - let's save nature" and "I won't give Jadar up," and after speeches by several speakers formed a column and walked to the government headquarters.

Prior to that, Manojlovic and representatives of environmental organizations Zlatko Kokanovic and Ljiljana Bralovic said that, if their demand was not met, they would invite all citizens to come to Belgrade on Feb. 10. They also announced camping in the city center until the demand was met.