Thousands protest in Romania against shale gas, gold mine

Thousands of people took to the streets of Romania on Sunday to protest against shale gas exploration and a controversial Canadian gold mine project using cyanide, AFP reports. Protesters also lashed out at the government and the president for supporting these controversial projects. In Bucharest, between 4,000, according to the police, and 7,000 people, according to organisers walked between the central University Square and the government building, shouting slogans against a a gold mine project planned by Canadian company Gabriel resources in the village of Rosia Montana, in the heart of Transylvania.
The open-cast mine would be the biggest in Europe, according to the company. The project has triggered fierce opposition as the mine would use an average of 12,000 tonnes of cyanide a year in a leaching process and threaten to partially damage Roman mining galleries. The company says European environment regulations will be respected. “We don’t want cyanide”, protesters, mainly young people and families, shouted. In the evening, they organised a sit-in on one of Bucharest’s main avenues, partially blocking traffic.
“We hope we can save Rosia Montana”, Irina Enea, a jewellery designer who came to protest with her husband and two children, told AFP. “We are angry because the right to a safe environment is violated and because the government adopted a draft law saying the mine is of national interest”, she added. Romania’s government on Tuesday approved a draft law granting national interest status to the Canadian gold mine project. The draft law will have to get approval from Parliament to be valid. Protests also took place in several other Romanian cities. In Barlad (north-east), more than 3,500 people gathered to protest shale gas drilling plans by US giant Chevron.