A range of groups in London came together with protesters around the world yesterday to protest against the Glencore global fossil fuel and mining company, while the corporation held its Annual General Meeting in Switzerland.
Supporters from Extinction Rebellion, War On Want, London Mining Network and others joined Resist Glencore outside the company’s London office for a noisy protest, and then marched to the Swiss Embassy for more drumming, chants and speeches, while communities in Peru, Argentina and Colombia were among Latin American communities who protested outside Swiss embassies and Glencore’s offices at the same time.
In Peru, the Indigenous Ancash community are protesting about the Antamina mine, which extracts copper, zinc, molybdenum and silver, while the people of Espinar are suffering high levels of blood toxicity thought to emanate from Glencore’s Antapaccay mining operations. Another mine at Pasco is blamed for severe health problems in children there.
In Argentina, the local Assembly of Andalgalá have been opposing Glencore’s Mara goldmine over environmental concerns about the heavy use of water from glaciers and periglacial areas.
There are problems too across Colombia, where Glencore run the biggest opencast coalmine at El Cerrejón where the Wayuu people (traditional Indigenous people of African descent) are being displaced to make way for expansion. This could affect up to a quarter of a million people and involves the diversion of the important Arroyo Bruno river. A constitutional case there which upheld the community’s rights in 2017 has been countered by Glencore through the use of the Investor State Dispute Settlement procedure (ISDS) whereby the company can fine Colombia for damage to their business.
This is why many have framed these ISDS processes as neo-colonial agreements to allow the continued destruction of resources. Colombia today is facing these lawsuits, while the communities face the consequences.
New solidarity group Resist Glencore is working with Yukpa and Wayuu people in Colombia and is forging links with people affected by Glencore extractivism across the world, including Nigeria, Sudan, Congo and Peru. They point to Glencore’s close association with corruption, killings and ecocide, and are also working with Energy Embargo For Palestine to highlight the company’s close association with Israel.
Much of Colombia’s coal is exported to Israel according to activists, adding up to 70% of that country’s coal energy quota. This is why yesterday’s protests were also supported by Palestine solidarity activists, who point to the links between these corporations and violent states, supported by governments in the West. The coal that violates the Colombian people is sent to Israel, where it helps power the continued violation of the people of Palestine.
