Protesters in Serbia block roads in order to denounce mining proposals

On Saturday, thousands of protestors blocked important roads and bridges in Belgrade and other Serbian cities to oppose a proposed lithium mine, despite police warnings and an intimidation campaign conducted by authorities against the demonstrators.

Protesters blew whistles and chanted ‘Uprising! Uprising!’ as they blocked traffic on the main motorway that runs through Serbia’s capital. The major downtown thoroughfare in Nis, the Balkan nation’s second-largest city, was closed, as was a bridge across the Danube River in Novi Sad, the country’s northernmost city.

Soccer hooligans tossed rocks and bottles at protestors in Novi Sad, who chased them down. A hooligan was badly beaten. Masked men hurled pyrotechnics at protestors in Belgrade.