Romania has been a largely peaceful country since the extremely bloody and violent revolution against the Communist government in 1989. However, there is a current issue that is causing Romanians to take to the streets by the thousands. In fact, 20,000 protested just yesterday (Sept. 16, 2013). A corporation, of which the largest shareholder is Canadian, has been granted rights by the Romanian government to begin a massive gold and silver mining operation in the Apuseni Mountains. The operation would extract an estimated 300 tonnes of gold and 1,600 tonnes of silver. In order to do so, 12,000 tonnes of cyanide would be used every year creating 13,000 tonnes of mining waste annually. The project, which would take place over the next 17 years, would also destroy three entire villages and four mountains!! We have seen street protests in every city we have visited and signs and banners and posters in shop windows everywhere. Hard not to see how the mining operation would leave a terrible scar on the beauty of Transylvania, Romania, and the world.
This protest we saw in Cluj-Napoca was the biggest we have seen, stretching several city blocks, entirely stopping all traffic and was conducted in a perfectly well-behaved manner by a passionate, youthful, respectful mass of civilly active participants.
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