Protests against the Serbian government have blocked bridges and roads

Clashes erupted in Serbia today between police and anti-government protesters who blocked roads and bridges, BTA reported.

The protest is against new laws that - according to the demonstrators - protect the interests of foreign investors to the detriment of the environment.

Hundreds gathered in the capital, Belgrade, Novi Sad and elsewhere, and blocked major roads and bridges for an hour as part of a "warning blockade".                                                      They promised new protests if the laws on expropriation of private property and referendums are not repealed.

Police cordons were set up to prevent protesters from reaching the bridges, leading to clashes. Police helicopters flew into the sky. Protesters managed to stop traffic on a key bridge in Belgrade and several central streets.

Demonstration organizers said several people had been detained. Police warned earlier that the blockades of bridges were illegal.                                                                                          Several environmental groups and NGOs are outraged by the authorities' decision to lower the referendum threshold and allow the rapid expropriation of private property when it is in the public interest.                                                                  Activists say this will pave the way for foreign investors to circumvent public discontent with projects such as Rio Tinto's attempt to develop a lithium mine in western Serbia.

Serbian authorities have denied the allegations, saying new laws are needed because of infrastructure projects. A referendum will be held on the Rio Tinto mine.                            The topic of ecology has recently attracted public attention after local activists accused the populist government of allowing the destruction of nature for profit, the AP notes.

Experts have warned that the planned lithium mine will destroy agricultural land and pollute water in western Serbia.