Vucic on Sunday accused protesters against a lithium mining project in Serbia of being part of a Western-backed “hybrid” war against his government, and vowed to take strong legal action against participants in protests that blocked traffic on Saturday. .
In one of the biggest protests of recent years, Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital on SaturdayBelgrade, against lithium mining in Serbia.
Some of the protesters they blocked later the ways in two train stations of the city and They briefly stopped traffic on a highway important. The riot police expelled them from the train stations early this Sunday.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that 14 people were detained for questioning. The Police are working to identify all the perpetrators who will face charges, the minister indicated.
A “hybrid” approach to overthrowing the Government, according to President Vucic
For his part, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters this Sunday that, although the main protest was carried out democratically, the traffic blockage on the highway was equivalent to “terror of the minority over the majority“.
“Es part of a hybrid approach“designed to overthrow the governmentVucic told reporters. “We knew everything in detail. Do you think you have surprised anyone? We have always been restrained, without violence we ensure order in the country, without problems.”
Vucic said last week that Russian intelligence services had been warned that “massive riots and a coup d’état” were being prepared in Serbia by unspecified western powers who want to expel him from power.
The government and state-controlled media launched a major campaign against Saturday’s demonstration, comparing it to the Maidan uprising in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, that led to the overthrow of the country’s then-pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, in 2013. The organizers of the Belgrade protest have repeatedly denied those accusations.
Saturday’s demonstration took place after weeks of protests in dozens of cities in Serbia against a government plan to allow lithium mining in a lush agricultural valley in the west of the country.
The EU, interested in reducing its dependence on China
This plan was scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations including the blocking of key bridges and roads. But it was revived last month and received a major boost in a tentative agreement on “critical raw materials” signed by the Vucic Government with the European Union (UE).
The Balkan nation formally seeks the accession to the EU while maintaining very close ties with both Russia and China. The EU memorandum on lithium mining and other key materials needed for the green transition would bring Serbia closer to the bloc y would reduce European dependence on China for batteries lithium and the electric cars.
Environmentalists warn of a serious environmental, social and economic impact
While the government insists the project represents an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would inflict a irreparable pollution al Jadar Valleyalong with its crucial water reserves underground and land crop.
Vucic said Sunday that there will be no lithium mining for the next two years while all risks are investigated, in an apparent attempt to appease critics. He also offered a referendum on the subject, something that environmentalists probably not taken seriously given Vucic’s alleged history of manipulating votes in his favor.
