Serbia: Activists block highway in Belgrade over Rio Tinto row

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A crowd of environmental activists blocked the highway and adjacent Gazela bridge in Belgrade on Saturday to protest against the Rio Tinto mining company’s project. Scuffles erupted as demonstrators blocked the traffic.

Activists chanted slogans under the rain, protesting the Anglo-Australian multinational and denouncing the potential environmental impact of its activities in the country.

“I expect us to succeed in attempting to stop Rio Tinto from opening a mine in Serbia. That is the main point. Of course, this is not the only ecological problem in Serbia, but it is one of the key topics,” said Lambros Jovanovic, one of the activists.

Demonstrations continue after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that although Rio Tinto’s project had been put on hold, it would not be shut down. Environmental organisations announced the blocking of roads in small towns and villages throughout Serbia until further notice.

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SOT, Lambros Jovanovic, Protester (Serbian): “I expect us to succeed in attempting to stop Rio Tinto from opening a mine in Serbia. That is the main point, of course this is not the only ecological problem in Serbia but it is one of the key topics.”

SOT, Milan Petrovic, Protester (Serbian): “I expect Rio Tinto to leave Serbia and I also expect this traitorous government to get off of people’s backs.”

SOT, Sinisa Damjanovic, Protester (Serbian): “The environment is under threat worldwide, as citizens we should have more compassion and empathy for any organization that fights for the environment. The weather conditions today are quite bad but regardless we have to fight (to protest) even under bad conditions.”

SOT, Marijana Uskovovic, Protester (Serbian): “We go out each time in order to protect our land not only from foreign investors but also from polluters from inside and outside the country too. This is a fight for crucial things that are essential in life, water, air, land. We’ve had enough.”

#Serbia #Belgrade #RioTinto

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