Bojana Novaković Instagram – A major showdown over the climate crisis is taking place right now in a small country in Europe. As usual, large US media outlets are silent. I am urging everyone to pay attention; the photos tell much of the story.
In Serbia, a country of only 6.6 million, hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets in recent days to demand the cancellation of a new lithium mine that the notorious corporate human rights abuser Rio Tinto wants to build in an area of fertile farmland in the western part of the country. A broad coalition of Serbian scientists has concluded the mine would cause irreversible ecological catastrophe. Water would be poisoned. Hundreds of family farms would be sacrificed. It is highly unusual for such a large proportion of a nation’s citizens to stage sustained protests over a single fossil fuel project. The photos in the carousel were shot in recent days in Belgrade, the nation’s capital where I believe at least 15% of the city’s population was on the streets.
This is a compelling example of what citizen power can be, and must do. It is what industry and corrupt governments fear most. And it’s deeply inspiring to witness.
I want to thank Bojana Novokovic – one of the Serbian protest leaders whose picture is in the carousel — for calling this to my attention. (I met @bojnovak on this platform during my Chevron-orchestrated detention over the company’s Amazon pollution.) Also want to give a shout-out to @mar_sa_drine, the extraordinary grassroots organization in Belgrade that has been leading the opposition to Rio Tinto’s mine.
Rio Tinto is a greedy Anglo-Australian company that has a long history of major human rights abuses across the globe in places like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and California. (See the website of the London Mining Network for documentation.) Serbian President Vucic – a strongman who reportedly stole the last election – is playing jiu jitsu with the protestors by first cancelling the project and then reinstating it. Dozens of protesters have been arrested.
Solidarity with @mars_sa_drine and @bojnovak. Asking
@nytimes and @cnn: you going to cover this deeply impressive display of citizen power? 👊👊 | Posted on 28/Aug/2024 00:14:27
