Thousands protest lithium mining in Serbia. Officials say it's a plot against populist president

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters rallied on Saturday against lithium mining in Serbia, despite officials' warnings of their alleged plot to topple populist President Aleksandar Vučić and his government.

Vučić said earlier he had been tipped off by Russian intelligence services that a “mass unrest and a coup” were being prepared in Serbia by unspecified Western powers that wish to oust him from power.

The crowd chanted: “There will be no mining” and “Treason, treason.”

After one of the biggest protests in downtown Belgrade in years ended, some people in the crowd marched toward the capital's two main railway stations, pledging to block train traffic until their demands that lithium mining be officially banned are met.

Government officials and state-controlled media have launched a major campaign against the rally, comparing it to the Maidan uprising in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, that led to the toppling of the country's then pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych in 2013. Organizers of the Belgrade protest have said the protest would be peaceful.

“Our rally today is ecological and has no political ambitions, but the government has accused us of seeking to stage a coup,” actor Svetlana Bojković said.

“We came here today to raise our voice against something that is beyond politics,” she said.

The demonstration came after weeks of protests in dozens of cities throughout Serbia against a government plan to allow lithium mining in a lush farming valley in the west of the country.

This plan had been scrapped in 2022 after large demonstrations were held that included the blocking of key bridges and roads. But it was revived last month and received a boost in a tentative deal on “critical raw materials” signed by Vučić's government with the European Union.

The Balkan nation is formally seeking EU membership while maintaining very close ties with both Russia and China. The EU memorandum on the mining of lithium and other key materials needed for green transition would bring Serbia closer to the bloc, and would reduce Europe's lithium battery and electric car imports from China.

While the government insists that the mine is an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would inflict irreparable pollution on the Jadar valley, along with its crucial underground water reserves and farming land.

Locals in the valley are strongly opposed to the mine, which would be operated by multinational Rio Tinto mining company. Both the government and the company have pledged the highest environmental standards in the mining process, but opponents haven't been convinced.

Tens of thousands have turned out for environment protection rallies held throughout Serbia in the past several weeks, posing a major challenge to Vučić and his increasingly autocratic rule. Opponents want the government to formally outlaw any lithium and boron mining in Serbia.

The government has set up a medical team to monitor any potential health hazards and a call center for citizens to voice their concerns, an apparent bid to soften some of the opposition.

Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović told The Associated Press earlier this week in an interview that Serbia wouldn't only export raw materials, but would develop a “value chain” in the country linked to producing batteries and electric vehicles to help develop new technologies.

Residents of the Jadar valley, however, said that nothing could persuade them to agree to the mine. They said they were ready to do everything to prevent the mine from opening.

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Dušan Stojanović contributed to this story.