By Matt Sarnecki

Thousands marched in Bucharest and several other Romanian cities on Sunday to protest a plan to open the largest open pit gold mine in Europe in Romania.

The demonstrations, which began two weeks ago, have become one of the largest spontaneous social movements of recent years. They reveal mounting opposition to what some Romanians feel is an environmentally precarious project, and a larger problem of political corruption.

Meanwhile Romanian gold miners blockaded themselves in the mine in a five-day protest against plans to stop the project. Proponents also gathered at the mine, arguing that the project would create needed jobs and investment in Rosia Montana, a small town in the impoverished mountains of western Transylvania.

Gabriel Resources, the Canadian company that holds a majority stake in the project, wants to mine approximately 300 tons of gold. Though Gabriel Resources acquired the mining license in 1999, the project has since been stalled. 

But the Romanian government approved a new draft law last month that promised to expedite approval of the mine by giving the project ‘special national interest’ status. The law grants the Romanian portion of the project, Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, permission to move villagers from the site through compulsory purchase orders. 

Critics say the project is environmentally reckless, noting the proposed use of cyanide to extract resources from the mine. Others have expressed dismay that the Romanian government will garner only a 25 percent stake in the project plus 6 percent royalties. They say that is too small a percentage and question whether the deal is due to kickbacks.

Rise Project, a member of OCCRP, released confidential documents on its website last week, including the mining contract that the Romanian government refused to reveal to the public. The documents shed light on the secret clauses negotiated between Romanian officials and the mining company.

In Bucharest on Sunday night, chants of “United We Save Rosia Montana,” could be heard amid the thousands of protesters, most of them young. In the front of the demonstration, parents pushing strollers held signs begging the government to protect their children’s future.

As the crowd marched through residential neighborhoods filled with Soviet-style block housing, protesters blew plastic horns and rattled rock-filled plastic bottles to rouse residents to their balconies and windows. Many protesters waved Romanian flags or wore them draped across their bodies.

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