We Won’t Give Jadar up Organization Says Protests to Continue

Protest against Lithium Exploitation, Belgrade, Aug. 10 2024 (BETAPHOTO/Milos Miskov)

An activist of the We Won’t Give Jadar Up association, Nebojsa Petkovic, said on Aug. 16 that protests against lithium mining would continue when enough locations were ready for coordinated action.

“Of course, we plan further activities, because the regime and the company will not back down. We are planning further activities and various forms of protests will certainly take place,” Petkovic said in an interview with the Danas newspaper. The activist also said that the circumstances had changed since the period prior to June 28, “and people have come to their senses and are joining protests across Serbia in massive numbers.”

“I am not sure if people are ready for radical forms of protest, but I am certain that this time is coming, too,” Petkovic said, adding that the people would be ready for radical protests “when they realize that the authorities have no intention whatsoever of accepting our demands.”

“The arrests have diverted our attention from the protests, as we needed to focus on having these young people released. As responsible people, during whose protest that arrests happened, it is our duty to do everything to make sure that these unjustly accused people are released,” Petkovic said in the interview.