The Ecological Uprising Movement gave Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic a deadline of December 3 to annul the new laws on referendums and expropriation which have been the cause of last weekend’s protests across the country.

The two laws were adopted by parliament last week prompting activists to stage road blocks across Serbia. Environmental activists and the opposition said that they are both being introduced to accommodate the Rio Tinto company’s plans to open a lithium mine in western Serbia. Vucic signed the referendum law the day it was adopted bringing it into force on November 26.

The environmental organization warned that Serbia could slide into conflicts unless the laws are withdrawn. “We are calling you to do everything to prevent Serbia from sliding into an even greater crisis and conflicts,” an open letter said, adding that both laws are in violation of the constitution.

It said that the adopting of law leads to more road blocks and “a general uprising by people strongly motivated by years of injustice” and warned that the president and his associates “will be held accountable for inciting and organizing conflicts by using para-police formations made up of thugs”.