Performance in Belgrade: Ursula, we believe in Europe, but Serbia is not a colony

The performance took place during von der Leyen’s meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serbian officials in the Palace of Serbia.

The movement’s message is that, by supporting lithium mining, the European Union (EU) is betraying its own values. A banner displayed at the performance read: Ursula, we believe in Europe, but we are not your resource colony!

Speaking to reporters, Go-Change representative Savo Manojlovic said: “We are witnessing a complete violation of European values, like the rule of law, democracy, and environmental standards.”

“By supporting this, the EU is essentially betraying itself,” said Manojlovic. He emphasized that Serbia is seeing breaches of its Constitution and rule of law, pointing to the government’s disregard of a public initiative to ban lithium and boron mining in Serbia signed by 30,000 citizens, a move he says undermines democratic principles. He also highlighted recent amendments to Serbia’s Criminal Code, which he claims target environmental activists as a reaction to growing public opposition to lithium mining.

“There is a total erosion of legal standards, seen in cases like Rio Tinto’s interference with scientific freedom, where it demanded the retraction of scientific journals and is now persecuting experts who address these issues professionally,” said Manojlovic.

He said the EU’s support for lithium mining is evident through memoranda signed with European officials, including Germany, one of the EU's leading countries.

Manojlovic reiterated that they believe in European values, the rule of law and democracy, principles they want to see implemented in Serbia, but that they no longer trust officials who disregard these same values.