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Global Romanian Protest against Canadian Mining Initiative

M.R.Victor

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Thousands of Romanians took to the streets in across 50 cities in Romania and abroad, including Washington D.C., Berlin and Amsterdam to vehemently oppose the passing of the draft legislation on the open-pit cyanide-based mining project at Rosia Montana. According to Gabriel Resources Ltd., the Canadian company behind the scheme, the plan for the project is to dig up the estimated 314 tons of gold squirreled away in Rosia Montana using an astonishing amount of 40 tons of cyanide per day.

Source: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1030279

The mining investment initiative is being led by the Canadian based Gabriel Resources Ltd, listed on the TSX.

The Romanian government owns a 25% stake in the project via a state-controlled shareholder and is set to receive 6% in royalties from the project.

The troubling concerns surrounding this story include the creation of a cyanide containment lake which would have to be maintained, physically and fiscally, by the Romanian government for all eternity, the willful under-valuation of the total worth of the minerals contained within the targeted area, a local media black-out on the subject and allegations of bribery and political corruption.

Opposition to the project has taken to social media as a way to both mobilize the protests and circumvent traditional media outlets, which are, allegedly, providing biased reporting on the subject. This is the Facebook page set up by Romanian Canadians to coordinate protests happening in Toronto and Montreal.

For example, as the CBC reports the story: Romania divided on Canadian mine proposal. For context, including the economic importance and scale of Canadian mining operations, here's an interactive map of global Canadian involvment.


Further sources (In French).

http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2013/09/09/en-roumanie-la-mobilisation-enfle-contre-un-projet-de-mine-d-or_3473110_3214.html

http://alsace.france3.fr/2013/09/08/strasbourg-comme-dans-d-autres-villes-des-roumains-ont-manifeste-leur-opposition-au-projet-canadien-de-mine-d-or-314427.html
 
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