Thousands of activists shut down critical roads across Serbia as outrage grew over a government-backed plan to enable mining giant Rio Tinto to harvest lithium from the Balkan country.
Protesters flooded a key highway and bridge connecting Belgrade to its outer districts in Belgrade, chanting anti-government slogans and holding posters critical of the mining project.
Other Serbian cities saw smaller protests, with minor altercations between demonstrators and counter-protesters in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad, local media said.
"They gave foreign firms carte blanche to do whatever they pleased on our territory. They've laid us out on a platter for anyone to come and steal anything they want "During the protest, Vladislava Cvoric, a 56-year-old economist, stated.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic captioned an Instagram snap of the demonstration, "clean air, water and food are keys to health."
"Without that, every word about 'health' is obsolete," Djokovic added.
The protests come on the heels of similar demonstrations last week in which masked men attacked a meeting in western Serbia's Sabac, eliciting anger on social media and claims that the government was deploying hooligans to stifle the movement.
Investment of $2.4 billion
Significant lithium resources — a critical component of electric car batteries — have been discovered around the western town of Loznica, where the Anglo-Australian company is acquiring land but is still awaiting final governmental approval to begin mining.
In 2006, Rio Tinto discovered lithium deposits in the Loznica region.
According to Vesna Prodanovic, head of Rio Sava, Rio Tinto's sister business in Serbia, the corporation aims to invest $2.4 billion (2.12 billion euros) in the project.
Critics have accused President Aleksandar Vucic's administration of facilitating unlawful land appropriations and disregarding environmental issues.
The demonstrations come months before expected national elections next year, with critics of the protests accusing organizers of sowing discontent to discredit Vucic ahead of the vote.
