Fridays for Future Romania activists in several cities have joined the global SOS Amazon campaign, which aims to draw attention to the destruction of the Amazon forest and create global pressure to reject the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement and adopt the Escazú Treaty .

Although, in the face of the epidemiological risk, it was not possible to organize larger protests, the young people organized in groups of up to three people and displayed messages of solidarity with activists around the world who sound the alarm, as well as demands for international decision makers.

Already known as a dangerous location for environmental activists who are exposed to violence and assassinations, Brazil has become an even more violent place under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. It pursues a policy of exploiting the Amazon rainforest and working with lobbyists from various industries, in parallel with the destruction of protected areas and the violent repression of indigenous communities who oppose the takeover of their territories.

The trade pact between the European Union and Mercosur would exacerbate existing problems, creating demand in the European market for Brazilian products with a high environmental footprint and thus accelerating deforestation, evacuation and illegal mining. Moreover, it would be a validation by European officials of Bolsonaro’s unethical and undemocratic practices. As European citizens, young people in Romania and other countries are urging the EU not to turn a blind eye to human suffering and the destruction of the environment and, consequently, to reject the pact.