A protest performance "Rio Tinto: March from the Drina River" was held on the Republic Square in Belgrade on Saturday, against the exploitation of lithium in the valley of the river Jadar.

On that occasion, the organizers stated that the performance is being held in over 20 cities, that it started in Germany, and that later in the day the performance will be held in New York as well.

In front of some twenty people, Savo Manojlovic from the „Go-Change“ initiative stated that together with the association „Let’s Defend the Rivers of Stara Planina“ and „Let’s Defend Jadar and Radjevina“ they wanted to show solidarity with citizens living in villages that would be relocated if the exploitation of lithium begins.

He added that Rio Tinto, an investor in the Jadar Project, is putting pressure on locals to sell properties to the company.
„Most residents still have not sold their land. What will happen next depends on our readiness to go and show that Serbia is a country of solidarity,“ Manojlovic said.

He added that the petition against the Jadar Project has been signed by more than 120,000 people since January.
„We handed over that petition to Rio Tinto and the Government of Serbia.“ The petition is just an indicator of what the people want, to raise awareness about the problem,“ he said.