PHOTOGRAPHY about SolidarityIndigenousHealthEnvironmentposted on May 19, 2011 by Michael
Protest at Goldcorp‘s Annual General Meeting
On May 18th, a sunny Wednesday morning, supporters of peoples affected by Goldcorp’s mining operations in Latin America held a vibrant demonstration addressing Goldcorp’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), taking place at the heart of Vancouver’s business sector.
Demonstrators rallied outside the Pan Pacific Hotel, where the shareholders’ meeting took place. “We ask and demand that the shareholders of Goldcorp approve the resolution to voluntarily suspend mining operations in compliance with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ precautionary measures,” said Sarita Galvez, on behalf of the peoples of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala affected by Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine. “And [we ask] that the international community demand Guatemala, Canada, and Goldcorp respect and protect human rights, especially the rights to life, land, and self determination for indigenous peoples.”
To ensure the message was delivered loud and clear, over two-hundred demonstrators made their way inside the luxury hotel lead by a marching band, massive banners, Mr. Metalcorp, and chants of “We don’t want your dirty gold!” The atmosphere was truly vivacious.
Backed by demonstrators in the hotel lobby, a handful of activists gained access to the room of the AGM itself, where they were able to announce, “Goldcorp is not an ethical investment! Goldcorp is killing people!”
The demonstration then hit the streets for a march to deliver a letter to the local office of the Canadian Pension Plan, calling attention to public investments in Goldcorp.
Before delivering the letter, speakers lamented the investment of the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) into companies such as Goldcorp. “The long arm of our investment is causing death and destruction throughout the world,” said Steve Stewart into a megaphone. “What we would like to request of the CPP is simply, don’t use our money to destroy other peoples’ homes.”
Once the letter was delivered, the march continued back to the Pan Pacific Hotel to hear back from the Goldcorp AGM. The security presence was significantly greater upon return, with police and security blocking the main entrances to the hotel, while police on horseback looked on.
Despite his frustration at the shareholders meeting, Carlos Amador of Honduras said he was encouraged by the demonstration. “There has been a lot of solidarity shown here today, and we need to continue to build this understanding of the gravity of the situation in order to continue to be supportive of the struggle.”
The message of demonstrators on this beautiful Wednesday morning is clear: Canadian mining, at the expense of human and environmental rights, will not go unchallenged.
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Comments
mining on indigenous sacred lands
Mining anything out of Mother Earth is a huge disaster, any where in the world. When you begin to take something out of the earth in one area, it begins to affect another part of the earth in another area. Huge disasters begin to happen, on Mother Earth. Rivers overflow their banks, and takes away homes, which leaves humans homeless. Volcanoes begin to awaken. When you begin to stop the rivers, by putting up power projects, and make man made lakes, this causes many different kinds of weather disasters. In the city of Vancouver B.C., I have seen this happen. In one area of the city it is sunny and hot, in another part of the same city and at the same time, it is lightning and thunder and raining. In another area it is hailing, one inch snow balls. This is not natural. All this began when the many power projects took over many of the rivers, in the south of British Columbia.
The next disaster is: The fresh salmon that has always come up the same rivers, for thousands of years, will fastly disappear. As their natural routes to migrate up their same rivers, have been destroyed. Putting up power projects have made the fish go up wrong rivers and routes, which puts an end to the migrating salmon. In turn, this disaster, will put many indigenous peoples into more hunger and poverty. As many indigenous people still survive on the migrating salmon.
The power projects have also displaced many wild animals, such as the moose, bear, deer and wolves. As many of these wild animals depend deeply on the salmon run.
As an indigneous woman, I have seen too many disasters happening, in my life time. In one generation, I have seen my parents suffer dearly from all the mining projects that have been going on, in my territory of Maxan Lake and area. Tailings ponds have popped up, on many of our sacred lands and water ways. Every living thing becomes contaminated, including the air we breath, the fresh water we drink everyday, the foods we survive on, the medicines we use on a daily basis. WHY do we, as human beings, need to mine everything in site? You can't eat gold, when all the food is gone from Mother Earths breasts. You cannot drink from the "tailings ponds" when there is no more fresh water. Stop all mining projects, stop stopping the rivers from flowing.
On almost every Indian reservation in B.C. I have seen the rock mining take away loads and loads of rocks, to help build roads and bridges. On the other hand, I have seen mounds and mounds of waste, such as household garbage, old cars, old concrete from old houses in the city, and piles of wood from those same old houses, baby diapers and such, which help to build these huge mounds, which are becoming mountains, man made moutains. Your city waste has to go somewhere, and it always ends up on some indian reservation. Please do your utmost to cut down on your household waste.
Indigenous people need clean water, nice built homes, better schools to have a better life. How could they survive by living on YOUR human waste. Better yet, why not trade places with an indigenous family, living on one of these reservations. I know of an indian reservations whose childrens playground is right next to the dump pile of waste. Their soccer and ball field is also right next to the dump pile waste. The elders "big house' is also right next door to the dump pile. To them, this dump pile is suppose to bring in revenues to help to support the indigenous people living on this reservation. There must be a better way to bring in revenues, as B.C. is Indigneous sacred lands. Indigenous people of B.C. should be the only ones to live richly, instead we are the poorest of the poor. All the resources coming out of B.C. all that revenues should be ours. Where is our share?