The Ecological Uprising organization said on Wednesday that it would call for road blocks unless the Loznica town authorities remove the Jadar lithium mine project from its plans.

The organization said that it would call the local population to “block roads until the final goal is met – the expulsion of Rio Tinto from Serbia”.

The Rio Tinto company is reported to be planning to open a lithium mine in the Loznica area of western Serbia. The plans prompted protests both locally and nation-wide, including the road blocks over the past two weekends following the adopting of two laws which are said to have been introduced to accommodate Rio Tinto’s plans. Those protests are demanding the withdrawal of the laws on referendums and expropriation. The authorities have said that any decision on the Rio Tinto plans has to be approved by referendum and the land for the mine can then be expropriated under the guise of higher national interests.

“(Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic is very wrong to think that he will stop us by meeting. Unless the Lozica Municipal Assembly meets by December 15 at the latest to decide to delete the Jadar project from its plans, Ecological Uprising will call the public to continue protests and roads blocks until the final goal is met, the expulsion of Rio Tinto from Serbia,” a statement by the organization said.