Crowds in another 4 cities protested against Rio Tinto’s plans to open a lithium mine in western Serbia on Wednesday. Pročitaj više

Crowds gathered in Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Bajina Basta and Obrenovac continuing the series of protests prior to what organizers say will be the biggest protest in Belgrade on Saturday.

The protest in Novi Sad was held under the slogan Rio Tinto You Won’t Dig and featured several speakers before a protest march. The crowd carried Serbian national flags and banners but no political party flags or insignia. The protest began with the traditional song Rise Serbia and continued with a minute of silence for the city’s Sodros wood and other projects by the authorities which are said to damage the environment.

In Obrenovac, outside Belgrade, the crowd gathered in a central park in a show of solidarity with the people living in the Jadar river valley where Rio Tinto wants to open a lithium mine. The crowd also went on a protest march which was applauded by the crew of an ambulance who stopped to cheer the protesters.

The crowd in the central city of Kragujevac gethered to loud music before hearing several speakers.

The protesters in Bajina Basta said that they fear the possible spillover of the lithium mining project which could cause nvironmental damage in the Tara national park and to the Drina river.