Several thousand people gathered in the city of Loznica, western Serbia, to protest Rio Tinto’s controversial Jadar lithium and boron mining project. Organized by the activist group Ne damo Jadar, the demonstration marks the latest in a series of public pushbacks that began in 2021 and may soon expand to neighboring cities, including Valjevo and Šabac.
Marijana Petković of Ne damo Jadar accused Serbian authorities of illegally greenlighting new infrastructure for the mining and processing site, located in the village of Gornje Nedeljice. Activists say the approval of a 110 kV transformer station is just the beginning, warning that Rio Tinto could soon receive an exploitation permit — a move that would grant it mining priority over the rare jadarite deposit.
Protesters also targeted local media for alleged bias. A Lotel TV station building in Loznica was spray-painted and labeled with a sign reading “disturbing content,” reflecting anger over the broadcaster’s failure to report on the opposition or show conditions in the affected villages.
“Not a single opponent of the Jadar project was ever invited to speak on their channel,” said activist Nebojša Petković, pointing out that major international outlets, including those from France, Italy, Sweden, and Japan, have covered the issue more fairly.
Further protests are scheduled, with Valjevo hosting the next on July 24. Šabac is also expected to join, forming what Petković called a “Serbian Bermuda triangle” of resistance, with hopes that the movement will gain national traction.
Despite fierce local resistance, the European Commission granted the Jadar project strategic status in early June, a move seen by opponents as undermining democratic accountability and environmental protections.
In a related development across the Drina river, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republic of Srpska are also resisting a lithium project near Majevica mountain, where a recent vote to designate the area a protected natural park failed in parliament.
Both Serbian and Bosnian activists are calling for a blanket moratorium on exploration and exploitation permits across the region.
