University Professor: Public Discontent Yet to Be Truly Felt, Jadar Project Epitomizes People’s Everyday Plight

Ivanka Popovic (BetaPhoto/Milan Obradovic)

Ivanka Popovic, a professor of Belgrade University’s School of Technology and Metallurgy and one of the founders of the ProGlas (ProVote) initiative, has stated that the protests against lithium mining “have shown that the people of Serbia have found their voice and that they are ready to, within their civil rights, take a stand on the most important issue currently on people’s minds.”

“Regardless of where we live in Serbia, each of us knows of at least one small or large-scale project being planned or actualized in an opaque manner. The planned Jadar lithium mining project is a symbol of everything the people are subject to and that is why we must all take a clear stand on it. And I believe that stand is already coming across loud and clear. I also believe the public’s discontent has yet to be fully felt,” Popovic told the latest edition of the Vreme weekly.

She went on to stress that any final decisions on the Jadar project will not be made by experts – despite the regime’s latest insistent claims – but rather by politicians and by the Rio Tinto mining company itself.

With regards to the overall state of society, particularly areas such as education and healthcare, the professor stated that “now is not the time to despair.”

“The mass protests, which are still ongoing, have shown that it is possible to stand up to an autocratic regime. The efforts of trade unions fighting for better employment conditions should also be recognized, such as those currently being invested by the Independent Teachers’ Union of Serbia,” Popovic concluded.