It was on the 8th of September 2013 when I was coming home from Cluj-Napoca in some friends' car and they were wondering if they would have time to get to the protest in Bucharest. I asked them "What protest?" and they told me the entire story.

 Last year marked a new beginning for environmental activism in Romania. At first, it was the case of Rosia Montana, a small village in the Western Carpathian Mountains. Later on, it was about fracking in some villages more towards the South-East of the country. Finally, there were some strong causes that were bringing people together in order to preserve our rich natural resources and, after all, the lives of our people.

I was living in Cluj-Napoca, one of the most active cities in the case of Rosia Montana, therefore I had the opportunity to actually be a part of what was happening - in the streets, in pubs and cafes, everywhere. In a few words, Rosia Montana is the oldest mining settlement in Romania, being mentioned in documents over 1882 years ago. Due to its mines and buildings, it is considered one of Romania's natural, archaeological and cultural values. However, it is also considered a good place for gold extraction by many foreign companies. That is why the Canadian company Gabriel Resources decided to start an extraction project here, which caused a lot of discontent with the people living there but also with many other people, who work in the environmental field or simply want to keep those lands clean and healthy.

This new, wider series of protests started after the 27th of August, the day when the Romanian government proposed a draft law that gives extraordinary powers to the project promoter, Rosia Montana Gold Corporation. Among other things, the company would be allowed to relocate people whose homes are on the perimeter of the mine, to set various deadlines regardless of Romanian laws, court decisions or public participation requirements. What most concerns people is that the company will extract up to 300 tonnes of gold and 1,600 tonnes of silver for which it will use 12,000 tonnes of cyanide and produce 13 million tons of mining waste over the next two decades. Therefore, they decided to act against this project by going out on the streets.

There is also an NGO called Alburnus Maior that is located in Rosia Montana and represents the interests of the people living there, with regard to the mining project. This NGO coordinates the "Save Rosia Montana" campaign, which is the largest social and environmental action in Romania so far.

The protests started on the 1st of September and took place every Sunday, for around 4 months. I remember seeing all those thousands of people gathered in one place or walking together along the city's main boulevards. It made me realize how powerful the feeling of unity and togetherness is. Most protests were very peaceful, people were just walking or talking, some of them even provided artistic performances, like playing instruments or reciting poems. I have been there once or twice and I actually felt like being part of a strong community, with strong, valid interests. I think that the involvement of the people was so big because there was a longing need for change and for speaking out loud with regard to the national values and treasures. And the possible destruction of Rosia Montana was, and still is, important for all Romanians.

In the end, the protests were successful. The law that would have allowed Gabriel Resources to actually launch the mining project at Rosia Montana did not pass.... at least not for now. I have a feeling that there is still a long way to go.

Roxana Nica