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

abcnews.go.com:

Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied in downtown Belgrade against lithium mining in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia — 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