ARSON AGAINST VINCI SECURITY COMPANY IN MALMÖ, SWEDEN.
ARSON AGAINST VINCI SECURITY COMPANY IN MALMÖ, SWEDEN.
On the 8th november a company car of the security company skånsk larmtjänst was set on fire in malmö, sweden. Skånsk larmtjänst is a part of the huge construction company vinci. The attack was carried out in solidarity with la ZAD, a anti airport project outside of nantes, france, where the french state and vinci try to build a big airport.
VINCI DEGAGE!
A Texas judge has ordered TransCanada to temporarily halt work on a private property where it is building part of an oil pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, the latest legal battle to plague a project that has encountered numerous obstacles nationwide.
A Texas judge has ordered TransCanada to temporarily halt work on a private property where it is building part of an oil pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, the latest legal battle to plague a project that has encountered numerous obstacles nationwide.
Texas landowner Michael Bishop, who is defending himself in his legal battle against the oil giant, filed his lawsuit in the Nacogdoches County courthouse, arguing that TransCanada lied to Texans when it said it would be using the Keystone XL pipeline to transport crude oil.
Tar sands oil — or diluted bitumen — does not meet the definition as outlined in Texas and federal statutory codes which define crude oil as “liquid hydrocarbons extracted from the earth at atmospheric temperatures,” Bishop said. When tar sands are extracted in Alberta, Canada, the material is almost a solid and “has to be heated and diluted in order to even be transmitted,” he told The Associated Press exclusively.
“They lied to the American people,” Bishop said.
Texas County Court at Law Judge Jack Sinz signed a temporary restraining order and injunction Friday, saying there was sufficient cause to halt work until a hearing Dec. 19. The two-week injunction went into effect Tuesday after Bishop posted bond.
TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard said later in a statement that the judge had agreed to push the hearing up to Thursday, Dec. 13.
David Dodson, a spokesman for TransCanada, has said courts have already ruled that tar sands are a form of crude oil. The company said in a statement emailed Tuesday that work on Bishop’s property is underway and that the injunction will not have an effect on construction.
“We are on track to bring this pipeline into operation in late 2013,” the statement said.
Environmentalists are concerned that if the pipeline leaks or a spill occurs, the heavy tar sands will contaminate water and land. The tar sands, they argue, are more difficult to clean than regular crude, and U.S. pipeline regulations are not suited to transport the product. They also say refining the product will further pollute the air in the Texas Gulf Coast. The state already leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions and industrial pollution.
In February, another judge briefly halted work on the pipeline in northeast Texas due to archaeological artifacts on the property. The judge later ruled the work could resume. The pipeline is being built, although the landowner is fighting the condemnation of her land.
TransCanada wants to build the pipeline to transport tar sands from Alberta to the Gulf Coast, but has encountered roadblocks along the way. To cross the U.S.-Canadian border, the company needs a presidential permit, which was rejected earlier this year by President Barack Obama, who suggested the company reroute to avoid a sensitive environmental area in Nebraska. The company plans to reroute that portion.
In the meantime, Obama encouraged the company to pursue a shorter portion of the pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas, which would help relieve a bottleneck in Cushing. TransCanada received the necessary permits for that southern portion earlier this year and began construction.
But many Texas landowners have taken to the courts to fight the company’s land condemnations in a state that has long wed its fortunes to oil.
Bishop owns 20 acres in Douglass, a town about 160 miles north of Houston. He used to raise poultry and goats on the land where he lives with his wife and 16-year-old daughter, he said, but sold the animals about two years ago because of the planned pipeline. Initially, the Vietnam War veteran said, he fought the company’s attempt to condemn his land, but settled because he could not afford the lawyer’s fees of $10,000.
Bishop said he settled under “duress,” so he bought a law book and decided to defend himself. Since then, he has filed a lawsuit in Austin against the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that oversees pipelines, arguing it failed to properly investigate the pipeline and protect groundwater, public health and safety.
Aware that the oil giant could have a battery of lawyers and experts at the hearing later this month, Bishop, a 64-year-old retired chemist currently in medical school, said he is determined to fight.
“Bring ‘em on. I’m a United States Marine. I’m not afraid of anyone. I’m not afraid of them,” he said. “When I’m done with them, they will know that they’ve been in a fight. I may not win, but I’m going to hurt them.”
Earth Liberation Front political prisoner and Rockaway native Daniel McGowan was released from the Communication Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana this morning. He was driven by federal authorities to Indianapolis International Airport, where he met up with his wife. Though the two have been able to visit during Daniel’s imprisonment, today marked the first time in years that they could hug, hold hands, or make any physical contact (save for a few month stint when Daniel was in general population in Marion, Illinois– between the CMU there and the one in Terre Haute). The two flew back to New York City together, where they were met by a small group of close friends at the airport. From the airport, Daniel had one hour to make it to the halfway house, where he will be living for as long as the next six months. Though he has secured employment, it is unclear when he can start work (at the discretion of the halfway house, not his new employer). Until he has had time to settle in, there are more questions than answers. After being released from the halfway house, Daniel will be under supervised release for three years. Regardless, this is great news and we’re excited to see our comrade on the other side of the wall. Please remember that prisoner support doesn’t end when a comrade is released. Through halfway houses, supervised release, parole, or probation, there is usually state supervision beyond the initial sentence. Also, prison is traumatic. And of course there is the stigma of being a former prisoner that effects nearly every aspect of one’s life. All of this adds up to the less obvious, but equally necessary, support needed when our loved ones come home. "Green Scare" Defendants The term "Green Scare," alluding to the Red Scare of the 1940s and ’50s, refers to legal and extralegal actions taken by the U.S. government against environmental and animal rights activists. Like the Red Scare, the Green Scare uses new laws and new arms of the state to harshly punish a few individuals in order to repress an entire movement. In December 2005, government agents carried out a nationwide sweep of arrests, charging fourteen individuals with actions claimed by the Earth Liberation Front and/or Animal Liberation Front in the Northwestern U.S. dating back to the mid-90's. The actions include a 1997 fire that destroyed a horse slaughterhouse in Oregon (the plant was not rebuilt), and fires that destroyed pens and chutes at Bureau of Land Management wild horse holding compounds in Oregon, Wyoming and California (horses were also freed during the actions). Despite no injury caused to any living being, a judge determined that some of the arsons constituted "terrorism" under Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In November 2006, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan, Jonathan Paul and Joyanna Zacher entered non-cooperation plea agreements in which they accepted responsibility for their own roles in environmentally-motivated property crimes, but did not agree to provide information or testify against anyone now or in the future. Unfortunately, other individuals admitted guilt after their arrests and proceeded to provide information to the government. In order to receive reduced sentences, these individuals agreed to cooperate with the state in ongoing investigations against the environmental and animal rights movements. Those individuals are not listed here. ————————————– Nathan Block Joyanna Zacher In May 2012, Joyanna Zacher ("Sadie") and Nathan Block ("Exile") were released from prison and will complete their sentences at a halfway house. In June 2007, Sadie and Exile were sentenced to 7 years and 8 months imprisonment each. For more information, please contact their support campaign: solidaritywithsadieandexile@gmail.com. Daniel McGowan In June 2007, Daniel McGowan was sentenced to seven years in prison. Learn more about Daniel at the following websites: www.SupportDaniel.org, www.facebook.com/supportdanielmcgowan Jonathan Paul Jonathan Paul was sentenced to 51 months. He began his sentence in October 2007. Jonathan said as he reported to prison, "This is way bigger than us, this is for the animals and the planet, we will never suffer as much as they do." Justin Solondz #98291-011 In early 2009, Justin Solondz was arrested in China on local charges, more than three years after he was indicted on arson and conspiracy charges related to actions in the U.S. claimed by the ELF/ALF. In July 2011, Justin was taken into federal custody upon his expulsion from China, after completing a prison sentence. In March 2012, Justin was sentenced to seven years in prison. December 4, 2012….Traditional territory of the Algonquin Peoples (Ottawa, Ontario)…Okimaw (Chief) Wallace Fox lead a procession of over 300 First Nation Chiefs, leaders, elders, women, youth and community members during an impromptu rally on Parliament Hill today. The First Nations movement is a result of frustration over the Canadian government’s current legislation. Bill C-45 is being debated in the house and Chiefs wanted to take part in the discussions of what will ultimately affect the future of their Peoples. “We put Canada on notice today that we are a Sovereign Nation and that we won’t be intimated by them cause we know who we are and the Rights we have as Indigenous Peoples. We are disgusted by this governments lack of respect shown to us today when trying to enter into the House. We were pushed and shoved by security and told we weren’t welcome there. When a pipe is present in which it was today, no force is intended or appropriate. We are asserting our voices as Indigenous Peoples.” This warning comes after an incident at Parliament today when MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-Kapuskasing) invited Chief Fox and nine other First Nations leaders to enter into Parliament to call out Minister of Indian Affairs, John Duncan and Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver to listen and respond to their concerns over C-45 and the debate that was taking place in the house today. “We tried to enter into the house in order to deliver our message to all Members of Parliament and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a peaceful way that our Inherent and Treaty Rights aren’t negotiable. We weren’t consulted on C-45 which outlines a new legislation on land surrender and wanted to be included in these discussions. These actions have strained a already fragile relationship. We have no other choice now but to take a course that will have impacts on all Canadians, ” stated Okimaw Wallace Fox. Onion Lake Cree Nation is an Indigenous Nation which believes in Sovereignty and the Protection of Inherent & Treaty Rights. The Cree Nation has over 5000 members and is governed by their own Cree Governance Structure. Onion Lake Cree Nation is located 30 minutes north of Lloydminster on highway 17 and is in Treaty No.6 territory. During the last week a lot has happend. On the 13th of November the police started to evict the camp area near the hole. It took till saturday 17th early in the morning to get out the last people. During the last week a lot has happend. On the 13th of November the police started to evict the camp area near the hole. It took till saturday 17th early in the morning to get out the last people. There was some attention localy and in the whole press and TV in this language zone. On a press conference we gave on the 19th of November we anounced the we have since squatted for quiet a while another area. South of the forest. So we wern't really completly evicted and resquatted inside a week:) On Wednsday 21th of November police came to evict this new area, but didnt have any paper work, it happend that the owner of the area came to see his land , during this police action. He was taken into custody by police, this resulted in pretty bad press for the police 🙂 It seems he got angry with the police and RWE as a result of this and doesnt want to evict us from his ground. These days its windy and security cars are going in the neigbourhood, there are even more people supporting, and more would be welcome. Squat more. Resist here and everywhere. Any time they hit us we come back much stronger 🙂 WINONA, TX – MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012 7:30 AM – Several protestors with Tar Sands Blockade sealed themselves inside a section of pipe destined for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to stop construction of the dangerous project. Using a blockading technique never implemented before, Matt Almonte and Glen Collins locked themselves between two barrels of concrete weighing over six hundred pounds each. Located twenty-five feet into a pipe segment waiting to be laid in the ground, the outer barrel is barricading the pipe’s opening and neither barrel can be moved without risking serious injury to the blockaders. The barricaded section of the pipeline passes through a residential neighborhood in Winona, TX. If TransCanada moves ahead with the trenching and burying of this particular section of pipe, it would run less than a hundred feet from neighboring homes. Tar sands pipelines threaten East Texas communities with their highly toxic contents, which pose a greater risk to human health than conventional crude oil. TransCanada’s existing tar sands pipeline, Keystone XL’s predecessor, has an atrocious safety record, leaking twelve times in its first year of operation. “TransCanada didn’t bother to ask the people of this neighborhood if they wanted to have millions of gallons of poisonous tar sands pumped through their backyards,” said Almonte, one of the protesters now inside the pipeline. “This multinational corporation has bullied landowners and expropriated homes to fatten its bottom line.” Recently, over 40 communities worldwide planned actions with Tar Sands Blockade during a week of resistance against extreme energy extraction and its direct connection to the climate crisis. A growing global movement is rising up against the abuses of the fossil fuel industry and its increasingly desperate pursuit of dangerous extraction methods. “I’m barricading this pipe with Tar Sands Blockade today to say loud and clear to the extraction industry that our communities and the resources we depend on for survival are not collateral damage,” said Collins, another blockader inside the pipe and an organizer with Radical Action for Mountain Peoples Survival (RAMPS) and Mountain Justice, grassroots campaigns in Appalachia working to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. “This fight in East Texas against tar sands exploitation is one and the same as our fight in the hollers of West Virginia. Dirty energy extraction doesn’t just threaten my home; it threatens the collective future of the planet.” “At this late stage, doing nothing is a greater danger than the risks of taking direct action to stop destructive projects like Keystone XL,” said Ron Seifert, a spokesperson for Tar Sands Blockade. “That’s why folks working with groups like RAMPS, the Unist’ot’en Camp fighting a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia and Tar Sands Blockade are willing to use everything including their own hands and feet to ensure we all have a safe climate and healthy, thriving communities.” Today also marks day 5 of the Houston Hunger Strike in which Gulf Coast activists with Tar Sands Blockade are going without food to demand that Valero divest entirely from the Keystone XL pipeline and invest in the health and wellbeing of the communities it’s poisoning. UPDATE: 7:30 am – Workers arrive. Construction is effectively halted. Twenty-two trucks and over thirty workers are on the scene with nothing to do. UPDATE: 8:45 a/m – Sheriffs arrive on site and are consulting with workers and talking into the pipe. UPDATE: 9:00 am – Police warn blockaders to leave the pipe or face arrest. Police are demanding that the blockaders leave the pipe or be arrested. The blockaders refuse to comply. UPDATE: 9:20 am – Police threaten to use tear gas on peaceful protesters Several sheriffs are shining flashlights into the pipe and threatening to use tear gas on the people inside. The blockaders are standing strong and remain barricaded inside the pipe. Holding fast to their principles of nonviolent resistance, Matt and Glen respond: “we will not be deterred by threats of violence.” UPDATE: 9:50 am – Officers are threatening to send a police dog into the pipe Police are saying that they will send a canine unit into the pipe after the protesters. There are no dogs on scene but the police claim that they are having them brought to the scene. UPDATE: 10:40 am – Police threaten to lift pipe and dump out Glen and Matt Police are continuing to threaten tear gas and canine units. They are also saying that they could raise the pipe and dump out the blockaders. Doing so would cause serious harm or even death; Matt and Glen are locked between two barrels of concrete which weigh over six hundred pounds each. UPDATE: 10:55 am – Crowd gathers to support blockaders inside Keystone XL pipeline People driving by the scene are showing their support by honking and stopping to talk to protesters about the dangers of toxic tar sands. Despite threats of violence, spirits are high; the crowd and Glen and Matt are singing together. UPDATE: 11:20 am – Police attempting to block view of pipe and move supporters further from scene Police have moved several trucks and vans in order to obstruct the view of the pipe in which Glen and Matt are locked. They have threatened arrest and forced supporters off the property immediately adjacent to the pipeline easement, despite the fact that the homeowner gave protesters explicit permission to be in her yard. Police are also forcing protesters to move further along the public road along which they were standing. THE LOOSE ANTI OPENCAST NETWORK IF THE GOVERNMENT GETS ITS WAY, ARE WE LIKELY TO SEE MORE ‘MOTHBALLED’ OPENCAST SITES POCK-MARKING OUR COUNTRYSIDE? THE LOOSE ANTI OPENCAST NETWORK IF THE GOVERNMENT GETS ITS WAY, ARE WE LIKELY TO SEE MORE ‘MOTHBALLED’ OPENCAST SITES POCK-MARKING OUR COUNTRYSIDE? LAON PR 2012- 16 1/12/12 The hidden topic so far, in all the discussion about the Energy Bill is what will be its impact on the UK Coal Industry. This is a much shrunken industry, producing around 18m tonnes of coal a year. Last year 59% of that coal was produced by opencast methods. This year, as the deep mining sector continues to suffer from problems and cost pressures are closing mines (on a temporary basis) at Maltby and Aperpergwm and Daw Mill, our largest pit is almost certain to close, domestic coal production is becoming ever more reliant on surface mining – in the July to September quarter, of the 4m tonnes of coal the UK produced, 65% now came from surface mines. But even the surface mine sector of the coal industry is not immune to the cold winds of economic realism coming from across the Atlantic, as US coal producers, desperate to find a market for their coal now that it can no longer compete with gas in the US domestic market because of the ‘fracking revolution’, send shiploads of coal to Europe at prices that make UK coal production uncompetitive. As a consequence, ATH Resources, a major surface mine operator has put itself up for sale and stopped development work on its new sites and Scottish Coal has asked its workforce to take a 10% pay cut and mothballed its large Blair House opencast site in Scotland indefinably. It’s just left it as large hole. Furthermore, the Energy Bill, introduced into Parliament this week is intending to create a low carbon generating system which is design to squeeze out coal from being part of the fuel mix unless Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) prove itself to be commercially viable. The Bill will provide for financial disincentives to make it more costly to burn coal in power stations without CCS, whilst, at the same time, provide financial incentives for existing coal fired power stations to be fully converted to burn biomass. The result is that Coal Operators in the UK are for the foreseeable future likely to see their market for coal shrinking dramatically. All that may sound good to you, if you worry about protecting the countryside from being treated as one large coal bunker, or you are concerned about climate change. Except it is not all good news. The expected decline in the use of coal for power generation purposes is going to take years to achieve. In the meantime, we may be starting to witness an increase in planning applications for new opencast mines across the UK, as Coal Operators realise that they must try to cash in on the investments they have already made before the coal market dries up. This month LAON can report, in its 7th Review of Opencast Sites available here: https://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/3309 that two new proposals have been made recently, one for a new 10m tonne site called Cauldhall, near Rosewell in Midlothian (ironically by Scottish Coal) and the other at the Deanfield site for 1.18m tonnes at Sharleston near Wakefield, where UK Coal, another coal company which nearly went into administration this year, intends to surface mine. As a consequence, The Stop Opencast in Sharlston (SOS) group has joined the Network That is not the only bad news about the surface mining of coal in England. The Government is proposing, through the Growth and Infrastructure Bill (Clause 21), to make it easier to dig up coal in England, just when they are planning to reduce the role coal plays in producing electricity through the Energy Bill. This clause of the Bill is likely to be debated by the Growth and Infrastructure Public Bill Committee, along with our evidence, on Tuesday 4th December. LAON’s concern about these policy changes is this. Given the economic difficulties that the UK Coal Industry finds itself in, is this the right time to be changing the planning system to make it easier for Coal Operators to get permission for new opencast mines? This is increasing the risk that many more opencast sites are left ‘mothballed’ and pock-marking our country-side if UK Coal Producers find that they are increasingly priced out of their own declining domestic market. In our view, this is not the time to relax planning controls at all for new surface mines in England We are hoping that the Government realises the inconsistencies in its current policy proposals and whilst it continues with its plans to decarbonise the generating sector, it revises its plans and not allow any plans to surface mine coal in England to be treated as a Major Infrastructure Project. A referenced version of this press release is available by contacting LAON at the email address below. About LAON The Loose Anti-Opencast Network (LAON) has been in existence since 2009. It functions as a medium through which to oppose open cast mine applications. At present LAON links individuals and groups in N Ireland (Just Say No to Lignite), Scotland (Coal Action Scotland), Wales (Green Valleys Alliance, The Merthyr Tydfil Anti Opencast Campaign), England, (Coal Action Network), Northumberland, (Whittonstall Action Group, Halton Lea Gate Residents)) Co Durham (Pont Valley Network), Leeds, Sheffield (Cowley Residents Action Group), Kirklees, (Skelmansthorpe Action Group) Nottinghamshire (Shortwood Farm Opencast Opposition), Derbyshire (West Hallum Environment Group, Smalley Action Group and Hilltop Action Group) , Leicestershire (Minorca Opencast Protest Group), Wakefield (Stop Opencast in Sharlston) and Walsall (Alumwell Action Group). Contacting LAON Steve Leary LAON’Ss Co-ordinator, at infoatlaon@yahoo.com You can now follow LAON on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Seftonchase Today in Espoo, Finland, a meeting of bureaucrats and industrialists entitled Confe Today in Espoo, Finland, a meeting of bureaucrats and industrialists entitled Conference on Socially and Environmentally Responsible Mining was disrupted by the group Hyökyaalto (Tidal wave). The following statement was released today: With the Northern mining boom the mining industry, famous for its chemical emissions, is threatening waters and ecosystems in various locations, where clean nature offers the most possibilities for local people. It is grotesque that the people involved gather to discuss the mining industry as a sustainable activity while every emergency dam in the Talvivaara mine is leaking poisonous waste into Vuoksi waters. The action is a protest against the industry and the states attempt to legitimize mining by discussing its sustainability. Protesters are reminding people that no such thing as responsible, sustainable or green mining exists. The Talvivaara mine in Sotkamo, Eastern Finland is a clear example that the only green things caused by mining are the polluted swamps and waters. The mining industry, famous for its chemical emissions, threatens the waters and other ecosystems crucial to everyone living in the surrounding areas. The action is arranged in solidarity with the Stop Talvivaara movement and all the people to whom mining industry causes suffering around the world. The environmental activists feel that direct action is the only strategy left to make a difference since the Finnish government has decided to support mining and ignore the critical voices from the people completely. Thus, the public opinion has no impact in the parlamentary system. A revealing example of this is that the opening speaker for the two-day greenwashing conference is Heidi Hautala from the Finnish Green party. The organising group of this protest, Hyökyaalto demands immediate shutdown of Talvivaara mine and abandoning all other mining plans. HOUSTON, TX – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 8:00AM – HOUSTON, TX – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 8:00AM –-Longtime Gulf Coast activists Diane Wilson and Bob Lindsey Jr. have locked their necks to oil tanker trucks destined for Valero’s Houston Refinery in solidarity with Tar Sands Blockade’s protests of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. Valero Energy Corp. is among the largest investors in TransCanada’s toxic tar sands pipeline that will terminate near the community of Manchester, located in the shadow of Valero’s refinery. Not only are Wilson and Lindsey blockading the Valero refinery, the two lifelong friends have also vowed to begin a sustained hunger strike demanding that Valero divest from Keystone XL and invest that money into the health and well-being of the people of Manchester. With a 90% Latino population, Manchester’s relationship with the Valero refinery is a textbook case of environmental racism. Residents there have suffered through decades of premature deaths, cancers, asthma and other diseases attributable to the refinery emissions. With little financial support for lawsuits and without the political agency necessary to legislatively reign-in criminal polluters like Valero, the community suffers while Valero posts record profits. “All my life the Gulf Coast has been an environmental sacrifice zone, and enough is enough,” declared Diane Wilson, who spent over twenty years organizing to stop chemical plants from dumping toxins directly into Gulf waters. “Keystone XL will bring to dirtiest fuel on the planet right down to the Gulf, where already overburdened communities like Manchester will be forced to suffer even more. After decades of toxic air in Manchester, I refuse to just let them continue to punish this community. I won’t eat until Valero divests from Keystone XL.” Wilson, a fourth-generation Gulf Coast shrimper, is no stranger to civil disobedience. After years of fighting industrial pollution in her hometown of Seadrift, TX, her willingness to use civil disobedience in the struggle for clean water and the successes it wrought for her community changed the landscape of environmental justice along the Gulf Coast. Newly designated by the Waterkeeper Alliance as the San Antonio Bay Waterkeeper, Bob Lindsey Jr. was born and raised in Calhoun County, which has highest rate of cancer of any county in TX. Lindsey also has a shrimping heritage stretching back five generations. His sister has had four episodes of cancer, and his father and nephew both died of rare disorders while in their forties. All of these diseases are traceable to the chemical facilities around which Bob’s family members lived and worked. “Me? I’m healthy. They’re the ones I’m fighting for. We have to be prepared to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves or who are too afraid to fight for themselves. That’s why I’m here.” “Diane and Bob’s decision to hunger strike in protest of TransCanada’s Keystone XL and challenge Valero’s longstanding disregard for the health and safety of the people of Manchester pushes the boundaries of the Gulf Coast environmental movement yet again, explains Ramsey Sprague, a Louisiana Gulf Coast-born Tar Sands Blockade spokesperson. “Manchester deserves justice as do all communities treated as energy sacrifice zones. Corporations like Valero and TransCanada cannot seem to function without violating the health and safety of the people everywhere from Alberta to Manchester.” “This is a project that reflects the occupation…of Mapuche territory,” said Iván Reyes, an indigenous leader staunchly opposed to the construction of an international airport in the southern Chilean region of Araucanía. Reyes, an agricultural technician, said the construction project was approved thanks to an environmental impact study “based on lies” that was carried out by Arcadis Geotécnica, the Chilean subsidiary of a Netherlands-based international consulting and engineering company. The study “says there will be no impact on communities in the area. But in a later analysis, we detected that the base line and measurements had been manipulated,” he said. The new airport, whose construction was actually approved in 2005, is now one of the most high-profile projects of the right-wing government of Sebastián Piñera. It is being built in Quepe, 20 km from the city of Temuco and nearly 700 km south of Santiago. The La Araucanía New International Airport, which will replace the Maquehue Airport, will have a 2,440-metre runway and a 5,000-square-metre passenger terminal. Temuco, which is halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes foothills, is in the middle of prairies, pasture and farmland, and forests. Although a few Mapuche communities support the new airport, which they see as a step forward for the region in terms of economic and cultural development, many others are staunchly opposed, arguing that it will undermine biodiversity and the environment, and will destroy their ancestral territory. The Mapuche, Chile’s largest indigenous group, number nearly one million in this country of over 16 million people, and the struggle for their ancestral land in the south of the country has frequently pitted them against large landholders, logging companies and other private interests. At the age of 23, Tranamil is already a Mapuche leader, in charge of the religious life of his community, Rofue. He is tenaciously opposed to the construction of the airport, which he describes as “a gateway to invade Mapuche territory.” Tranamil, or “machi Fidel” as he is known by the local community, is one of the most active indigenous leaders in the area. He has been arrested several times, and his home is frequently searched by the police. Since 2005, his mother has been living with seven pellets in her right knee, after a harsh police crackdown on a protest. The house where Tranamil and his mother live is warm and quiet. They raise pigs and chickens, and have a small vegetable garden. “But soon, airliners will be landing every minute. That will not only violate our spiritual life but also our culture and harmony,” he said. He also said that to build the airport, “between 200 and 300 hectares of native (old-growth) forest will be cut down, and lost forever. It would take 400 years for the trees to grow back to their current height.”
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Daniel was released from prison in December 2012.
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Jonathan was released from prison in January 2011 and completed his sentence at a halfway house.
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FCI Loretto
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Loretto, PA 15940
USA First Nation Leaders Enter Parliament and Scuffled by Security
News from the Hambach Forest: Eviction and resquatting
Two People Barricade Themselves Inside Keystone XL Pipe To Halt Construction
The Clause 21 Growth and Infrastructure Bill Threat: More Info
Activists interfere with international mining conference in Finland
“There is no such thing as socially and environmentally sustainable mining!”
“There is no such thing as socially and environmentally sustainable mining!”
Stop the mining boom!
Activists Lock Themselves to Trucks Outside Valero’s Houston Refinery
Activists Begin Sustained Hunger Strike, Demand That Valero Divest from Keystone XL Pipeline
Activists Begin Sustained Hunger Strike, Demand That Valero Divest from Keystone XL Pipeline
Mapuche Indians Fight New Airport in Southern Chile
