Article by PBI-Canada
PBI-Mexico accompanied Educa Oaxaca has alerted us to this call for solidarity by mining justice activists in the southern province of Chubut in Argentina.
This morning, Educa Oaxaca tweeted: “Legislature of Chubut intends to approve the project 128/20 of mining zoning in Patagonia Argentina. A scenario of criminalization and repression in the face of mobilizations is foreseen.”
MiningWatch Canada has also tweeted: “In a last-minute maneuver, the Chubut government intends to approve [on March 4] a project that gives the green light to mega-mining in the province that Canadian mining company Pan American Silver has been criticized for pressuring members of the provincial legislative assembly.”
Infobae further reports: “Mariano Arcioni, governor of Chubut, wants the Legislature to approve the project that endorses mega-mining in the plateau.”
That article adds: “The province’s social and environmental movements [have] called for different actions to try to prevent the project from being approved.”
It also highlights: “Those who oppose the official project [argue it is] made almost to the measure of the Canadian company Pan American Silver that has been waiting for 11 years to exploit the Navidad project on the plateau.”
The Union of Assemblies of Communities of Chubut has noted that thousands were on the streets of the territories last night and that today “more mobilizations are expected, with solidarity actions in Buenos Aires, Tucumán and other territories.”
They also express concern about “persecution, criminalization [and] the strong repression of the State and para-police forces against the protests of the people in the streets.”
The National Aboriginal Pastoral Team (ENDEPA) has filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that Indigenous communities have not given their free, prior, and informed consent to this project.
For updates on this, search #ChubutAGUAzo on Twitter.
