Thousands of people again take to Bucharest's streets at the end of the fifth week of anti-mining protests

The protests against Rosia Montana gold mining project in Romania continue in Bucharest and across the country. An estimated 7,000 people filled the streets of Bucharest on Sunday (October 6), at the end of the fifth week of protests. Carrying flags, signs and messages against cyanide mining, the protestors marched down several streets in the capital, chanting “United we can save Rosia Montana,” or “People are on the streets, the law will not pass”. After hours of marching through the streets, the protestors stopped, as usual, in Universitatii Square, where they blocked the traffic. No incidents were reported. Similar protests have also been organized in several other cities across the country, such as Alba-Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Timisoara, Sibiu and Craiova. Protests against the mining project started on September 1, 2013, soon after the Government adopted the bill which would allow Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), majority owned by Gabriel, to start extracting gold from Rosia Montana using cyanide mining. The draft law is currently pending for approval from the Parliament. However, people living in Rosia Montana village in central Romania have also staged protests in favour of the mining project, which they say will create jobs much needed in the area. Opposed by NGOs, the gold mining project at Rosia Montana has triggered many controversies since Canadian firm Gabriel Resources acquired a mining license for the site in 1999. The use of cyanide and the landscape destruction wrought by the project are the main concerns of the mine’s critics. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (photo source: Uniti Salvam facebook page)