Berlin Activists Protest Rio Tinto
Mining Group Plans Lihium Extraction Project in Loznica, Serbia
On 15 October 2024, activists in Berlin staged a protest against the planned lithium mining operations in Serbia, supported by the German government. Many of the protesters, originally from different parts of Yugoslavia and involved in climate justice campaigns, accused the German government of complicity in what they expect to be a complete environmental disaster.
Gathering outside Berlin’s Futurium, where the Federation of German Industries was holding a climate congress, the activists called out Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration—which includes the Green Party—and industry leaders for hypocrisy. They stated that while German politicians and industrialists were happy to talk about environmental protection at home, they turned a blind eye to harmful extractivist projects abroad.
The protest was triggered by a lithium mining project in Loznica, Serbia, led by the multinational corporation Rio Tinto. Activists warn that if the project proceeds, the environmental destruction will be catastrophic, affecting local agriculture, water supplies, and livelihoods. Despite the risk, the project has been heavily promoted by Chancellor Scholz himself, as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
In their manifesto, the protesters described Germany’s support for the Rio Tinto project as a clear case of greenwashing. “Behind a green label, tangible profit interests are hiding at the expense of the environment of a small and impoverished European country,” the manifesto read.
Protesters said that Germany’s endorsement of lithium extraction in Serbia is part of a broader trend in which Western countries outsource environmentally harmful practices to poorer nations. Krunoslav Stojaković, one of the protest organizers, said to local media that this behavior pacifies Western consumers into believing they are making environmentally conscious choices while business continues as usual. “It makes people in Western countries feel like they’re doing something good for the environment, without actually having to change how they live or consume,” Stojaković said.
Meanwhile, in Serbia, Vučić’s administration is pushing forward with facilitating Rio Tinto’s operations despite widespread opposition. As demonstrations took place in Berlin, new mobilizations had already been announced in Serbia in the coming days.
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