Global – Page 70 – Earth First!

National and Global Calls for Tasmania’s Forests, World Heritage not Woodchips

MEDIA RELEASE 01.09.09
NATIONAL AND GLOBAL CALLS FOR TASMANIA’S FORESTS, WORLD HERITAGE NOT WOODCHIPS.

Conservationists around the nation and globe are protesting today against the continuing logging and the wood chipping of world heritage valued old growth forests of Tasmania.

MEDIA RELEASE 01.09.09
NATIONAL AND GLOBAL CALLS FOR TASMANIA’S FORESTS, WORLD HERITAGE NOT WOODCHIPS.

Conservationists around the nation and globe are protesting today against the continuing logging and the wood chipping of world heritage valued old growth forests of Tasmania.

Banners reading “TASMANIA’S ANCIENT FORESTS, WORLD HERITAGE NOT WOODCHIPS” and “THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING” are being displayed across the country.

In Hobart 4 activists are displaying this message hanging from ropes off the roof of Parliament house.

In Melbourne the message has been painted onto silos on Lanridge St. in Collingwood.

In Canberra, the message is being displayed on banners unfurled from the roof of Federal Parliament house.

In Adelaide a banner displaying the message is hanging from buildings in the CBD.

In Newcastle conservationists have constructed an 84 metre tree. Only trees greater than 84 metres qualify for protection as “giants”. Ancient trees that do not reach the 84 metre marked are felled and wood chipped.

Actions across the nation today are supported by international actions in Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy and other solidarity actions are expected to roll on throughout the day.

“The Federal and Tasmanian State Governments are continuing well into the 21st century to decimate the very last unprotected areas of world heritage bordered old growth forest. These last stands of old growth have been deliberately left out of the World Heritage Area to facilitate their destruction.” Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

“Despite a unanimous IUCN (International Union for Conservation and Nature) decision of 21 countries to extend existing world heritage borders to include ancient forests located in the Upper Florentine, Styx, Lower Weld Valley and Middle Huon, These forests are currently subject to industrial scale clear felling.” Said spokesperson Ed Hill.

“The nation wants an end to the environmental madness that is taking place in Tasmania’s forests. The outright vandalism of old growth forests is a climate disaster that is happening right now.” Said Mr Hill.

“ A recent report* by Professor Brendan Mackey and Australian ANU scientists states Tasmania’s temperate old growth forests store far more carbon then was previously thought. The study found that temperate forests store more carbon than tropical forests and that Tasmania’s ancient forests are some of the most carbon rich forests in the world.”

“The protection of Tasmania’s ancient forests is a simple and effective strategy to help reduce the effects of catastrophic climate change and needs to be seriously considered by State and Federal Governments. The science on forests and climate change is loud and clear yet the Federal Government continues to twiddle their thumbs in the face of dangerous climate change as old growth forests are cleared daily.” Said Mr Hill.

Algonquins set for peaceful, indefinite blockade

The Algonquins of Barriere lake have announced plans to set up an indefinite roadblock on their land—beginning today, September 1, 2009.

In a press statement (below), the northern Quebec First Nation says the roadblock, aimed at preventing logging on their traditional lands, will continue “until Quebec implements agreements covering forestry on Barriere Lake’s lands, and the Quebec and Canadian government’s recognize the First Nation’s legitimate leadership.”

For more information, contact Chief Jean Maurice Matchewan at 819-435- 2136 – or, if the line is busy, 514-398-7432

Algonquins peacefully block logging until agreements and leadership respected?

For Immediate Release
September 1, 2009

Algonquins place bodies in front of logging machines: prevent logging until Quebec and Canada respect agreements and leadership

Kitiganik/Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory /- This afternoon members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake will peacefully block the machines of Abitibi-Bowater forestry workers, preventing logging in their territory until Quebec implements agreements covering forestry on Barriere Lake’s lands, and the Quebec and Canadian government’s recognize the First Nation’s legitimate leadership.

“Our community has decided there will be no forestry activities or any new developments in our Trilateral Agreement Territory until the status of our leadership and the agreements we signed are resolved to our community’s satisfaction,” says Jean Maurice Matchewan, Customary Chief of Barriere Lake. “The Quebec government has acted in bad faith, giving companies the go-ahead to log while they ignore their legal obligations, leaving us with no choice but to stop forestry operations until Quebec complies with the agreement. We have waited more than 3 years for Quebec to implement it.”

Matchewan received no response to a letter he sent to Manager Paul Grondin of Abitibi-Bowater’s Maniwaki mill on August 25, requesting that the company suspend logging operations until the governments follow through on their obligations.

“Our plan is to peacefully put our bodies in front of their machines until we get some results. We expect they may use the police, because we are used to such tactics. This is our territory and they can’t push us off our lands,” says Matchewan.

Canada and Quebec have refused to acknowledge the results of a June 24, 2009 leadership selection process that reselected Jean Maurice Matchewan as the legitimate Customary Chief of Barriere Lake. National Chief Shawn Atleo of the Assembly of First Nations, however, met with Chief Matchewan on August 19, to discuss the Trilateral agreement and other community concerns. The
Algonquin Nation Secretariat, a Tribal Council representing three Algonquin communities including Barriere Lake, also recently reiterated their support for Chief Matchewan.

“Instead of acting honourably and cooperating with our Customary Council to implement these signed agreements, the federal and provincial governments have been working in unison to try and install a minority faction whom they can use to sign off on the cutting of our forest,” says Matchewan.

Barriere Lake wants Canada and Quebec to uphold signed agreements dating back to the 1991 Trilateral Agreement, a landmark sustainable development and resource co-management agreement praised by the United Nations and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Canada has been in breach of the agreement since 2001. Quebec signed a complementary Bilateral Agreement in
1998, but has stalled despite the 2006 recommendations of two former Quebec Cabinet Ministers, Quebec special representative John Ciaccia and Barriere Lake special representative Clifford Lincoln, that the agreement be implemented. The agreement is intended to allow logging to continue while protecting the Algonquin’s’ traditional way of life and giving them a $1.5 million share of the $100 million in resource revenue that comes out of their territory every year.

Eco-Anarchists Attack Luxury Car in Guadalajara, Mexico

Communique:

“Arson attack on a luxury car by eco-anarchists in Guadalajara, Mexico

In the early morning hours of August 18 our cell once again decided to attack the machines which destroy the planet and its inhabitants; this time our protest was against the automobile, and why do it if not to luxury cars. We entered a bourgeois area of our city and we set fire to the front tires of a luxury car; unfortunately the fire did not spread because of the rain; it only melted the tires, but it created a psychological fear in all those who choose to invest their money and spend it in the destruction of our planet.We will return to destroy their machines!

ECO ANARCHISTS GUADALAJARA MEXICO”

Source: ELF Press Office

Ride Planet Earth

Dear all,

I hope you are well.

My name is Richard i am the British coordinator of the Ride Planet Earth project.

I hope you can take a moment to read this message.

Dear all,

I hope you are well.

My name is Richard i am the British coordinator of the Ride Planet Earth project.

I hope you can take a moment to read this message.

Ride Planet Earth is encouraging action to prevent dangerous climate change. The project culminates on 6th Dec 09, the day before the Climate Change negotiations begin in Copenhagen, with a series of simultaneous cycling events in cities, towns, and dirt tracks around the globe. The message we are sending is that ordinary people can and will take action to stop climate change so our governments must do the same. Start Cycle Change: Stop Climate Change.

Ride Planet Earth began as a journey from Brisbane to Copenhagen by bicycle, to highlight the current impacts of climate change on the planet’s most vulnerable communities. The Cycle Change Convoy has now reached Georgia and over the next 4 months will cross europe to Denmark.

To find out more visit

www.rideplanetearth.org

At present the 6th Dec will see events occurring in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. But to make a stronger statement we need more. The UK has a huge potential to help.
That is why I am writing to you.

Please contact me at richardkimberley8@hotmai.com, if you, your organisation can or know of any individuals or organisations who have the capacity to put on a ride, large or small. Your help will be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Lets spread the word

Yours sincerely,

Richard Kimberley

British Coordinator
www.rideplanetearth.org
richardkimberley8@hotmail.com

Start Cycle Change Stop Climate Change

China villagers storm lead plant

17 August 2009
At least 600 children have excessive amounts of lead in their blood

Hundreds of Chinese villagers have broken into a factory that poisoned more than 600 children, reports say.

Villagers tore down fencing and smashed coal trucks at the lead smelting factory in Shaanxi Province.

17 August 2009
At least 600 children have excessive amounts of lead in their blood

Hundreds of Chinese villagers have broken into a factory that poisoned more than 600 children, reports say.

Villagers tore down fencing and smashed coal trucks at the lead smelting factory in Shaanxi Province.

Local authorities have admitted that the plant is responsible for poisoning the children. More than 150 were in hospital.

Air, soil and water pollution is common in China, which has seen rapid economic growth over the past few decades.

Toxic metal

The villagers broke into the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Company, near the city of Baoji in western Shaanxi on Monday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

About 100 police officers were sent to the plant to restore order.

The villagers are angry because medical tests revealed that at least 600 children under 14 from two villages near the plant have excessive amounts of lead in their blood.

About a quarter of them were taken to hospital for treatment.

Environmental officials from Baoji city government admitted on Sunday that the plant was “mainly to blame” for the children’s lead poisoning, according to Xinhua.

Checks found that water, soil and waste from the factory – a major local employer – all met national environmental standards.

But the lead content in the air around the factory was more than six times the level found a few hundred metres away.

The smelting plant has now been closed down.

Local officials had promised to relocate all residents living within a 500m ( 550 yard ) radius of the factory within three years of its opening, but that plan stalled.

Xinhua said only 156 families had been moved; three times that number are still waiting.

Villages are also worried that the new homes are still not far enough away from the plant to prevent their children from getting sick.

Lead is a toxic metal that can get into the air and water supplies.

It can cause a range of health problems, from learning disabilities to seizures. Children under six are most at risk.

ELF Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

16.8.2009
Earth Liberation Front Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

Communique:
In the clandestine darkness, on a tranquil and hot night, we assembled our dream with gasoline that would soon be fire.

We walk under the ghosts of the trees already destroyed, only our breathing and steps we could hear. During this night, everything went well.

16.8.2009
Earth Liberation Front Torches Development Water Truck in Mexico

Communique:
In the clandestine darkness, on a tranquil and hot night, we assembled our dream with gasoline that would soon be fire.

We walk under the ghosts of the trees already destroyed, only our breathing and steps we could hear. During this night, everything went well.

We arrived at our objective, a truck full of water, utilized to squander hundreds of liters of water for the earth that civilization would later lick, urbanizing it and leaving it completely infertile, all for the construction of streets where zombies wander.

We placed our device in the front rim of the truck and we hid behind urban flora. A small spark of happiness suffices to illuminate a sad night of agony.

Our dark clothes camouflage with the shadows, and the luminous and round moon lit the truck that in some minutes would begin to burn. The incendiary was lit and began to burn the the rim, the chest, and later, slowly, the cabin of the truck would be eaten. A great cloud rose to the skies, as we felt a great emotion in our bodies. The flames were large, as large as our desire to see the dying civilization burn.

In the company of the stars, we admired our completed action, behind the trees, just as the panther visualizes its prey.

Suddenly, the deafening noise of chaos, of neighbors, and of sirens were heard. An ambulance arrived, firemen arrived and the cars that were near the smoke began to flee. The deafening sound was the sound of the motor of the truck exploding.

The social peace had been destroyed. Exploiters of the earth received their punishment, the truck was rendered useless and we once again struck without leaving any trail.

Revenge for the land, the trees, the mountains, the water and everything that signifies wild nature turned into merchandise for the anthropocentric human!

We will continue in the fight.

Earth Liberation Front/Mexico

info@elfpressoffice.org
http://www.elfpressoffice.org

Day of the Broken Promise

Benny Wenda, West Papuan independence leader and chairman of the Koteka Tribal Assembly, and most of the rest of the small handful of West Papuans living in Britain demonstrated opposite the Netherlands Embassy in London on Fri 14 Aug, to mark the anniversary of the ‘Day of the Broken Promise’, 15 August 1962.

The western half of New Guinea became a Dutch colony in the nineteenth century, but by the 1950s they were moving towards giving it independence. However the Indonesian goverment claimed the country and threatened invasion after then Dutch set up an elected government of West Papua in 1961.

Indonesia was backed by military aid from the Soviet Union, and the Kennedy administration in the USA wanted to prevent further movement of the country towards the Soviet bloc, so pressured the Netherlands into signing the ‘New York Agreement’ with Indonesia in August 1962. This allowed Indonesia to take over the administration of the country but provided for all the adult population of West Papua to vote at a later date on whether they wished to become independent.

The Indonesian army moved in on 1 May 1963 and began a programme of repression and human rights abuse against the people. In 1969 they rounded up and detained just over a thousand West Papuans as representatives of the people and enusured that they voted for rule by Indonesia by threats, including at least in some cases that they and their families would be killed unless they did so.

The Indonesian government made it impossible for the UN represenatative who was supposed to oversee the election to operate properly, and banned most foreign reporters. Although it was clear that the vote did not reflect the will of the West Papuan people – and had failed to meet the terms of the agreement – which had been ratified by the UN – it was approved by the UN General Assembly.

Since then there have been many reports of repression by Indonesia in the country, including murder, political assassinations, torture, rapes, dissapearances and bombing. The government also had a programme of resettling migrants from Indonesia in the country, apparently aimed at producing an Indonesian majority population.

West Papuans have engaged in both civil disobedience – particularly around cermonial raising of the West Papua flag (the Morning Star) as well as armed resistance.

Wenda was jailed for displaying the West Papuan flag (on his chest and at top right of picture) but managed to escape and gain asylum in the UK. Estimates of the number of West Papuans killed by Indonesian repression are in the hundreds of thousands (400,000 according to the Free West Papua Campaign), and in 2006, 43 refugees landed in a traditional canoe in Australia, claiming the Indonesian military was carrying out a programme of genocide.

Despite a widespread recognition of what has been happening, there is little international support for West Papua. The country has the world’s largest copper and gold mines, largely owned by US Compnay Freeport-McMoRan with UK based Rio Tinto Group also involved.

Today’s demonstration was peaceful and tuneful, with Benny and Maria Wenda and others playing instruments and singing traditional West Papuan songs opposite the embassy.

A Dutch diplomat came across the road to talk to the demonstrators and receive a letter demanding that the Netherlands and other governments insist on the proper implementation of the 1962 agreement, with a free and fair independence referendum involving all West Papuans overseen by the UN. Papuans feel they were let down by everyone involved, but particularly by the Dutch; “We trusted you and we believed in you. But you betrayed us.”

The diplomat spoke for a few minutes with the demonstrators and was interested to see a feature on the rebel army there which appeared in today’s Independent on display.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/bows-arrows-and-a-dream-of-liberation-1771884.html

After the demonstration at the Netherlands Embassy the protest was moving to the Indonesian Embassy in Grosvenor Square, where the West Papuans hold regular protests.

EF! summer gathering – exact location, travel info & updated workshop programme announced; coal-blighted communities visit

Earth First! Summer Gathering, 18th-24th August 2009, Cumbria

Never has halting the destruction of our planet been so important… Learn how to make them stop!

The gathering this year will be held at Seathwaite in the beautiful Borrowdale. The site is right in the heart of the Lake District and surrounded by mountains, streams and tarns. The nearest train station is Penrith. More detailed directions, public transport, walks & cycle rides to the site

Workshop programme in a variety of formats

Earth First! Summer Gathering, 18th-24th August 2009, Cumbria

Never has halting the destruction of our planet been so important… Learn how to make them stop!

Workshop programme in a variety of formats

WHO
Earth First! is a network of people and campaigns who fight ecological destruction and the forces driving it. We believe in doing it ourselves rather than relying on governments or industry. Direct action is at the heart of what we do, whether we’re standing in front of a bulldozer, shutting down an opencast mine or ripping up a field of GM crops.

Join us for 5 days of workshops, networking and planning actions at a low impact eco-living camp organised non-hierarchically

WHAT
Planning actions and campaigns, meeting and sharing skills with others who care. Over 80 training workshops plus games and evening fun:
• Learn skills for direct action. Tree Climbing, Orienteering, Security for activists, Legal briefing, Escaping public order situations, street medics – first aid, self defence, Boat blockading using kayaks, radio procedures and rock abseiling.
• Network your campaign against ecological destruction. opencast mining, genetic engineering, agrofuels, dam-building, hunt-sabbing, climate actions, oil pipeline resistance, road stopping, anti-whaling, squatting, rainforest protection.
• Learn about ecology, ecocentric ethics and alternatives to the corporate world of exploitation.
• Practical skills for ecological restoration and sustainable living, field trips and hands-on work.

YOU
We are all crew! This is your gathering come prepared to help run the camp and contribute to the programme. Contact us in advance with ideas for workshops, help with organising the gathering, come early to help setup the site or stay on for a couple of days for takedown.
If you can help get in touch!

BRING
Bring tent and sleeping bag. You can either cook food for yourself or for £4 per day chip in with collective cooking of delicious vegan organic food. There’ll be quiet sleeping areas, toilets and running water, a children’s space and spaces for workshops and info stalls.
Veggies will provide vegan cake and snacks. Children and young adults welcome with subsidized meals.

Arrive Tues pm. Workshops from Wed am until Sun pm.

Loads of campaigns are taking to the water in defence of the planet, like at Rossport where Shell are trying to lay onshore pipelines and the Great Rebel Raft Regatta at last summers climate camp. This summer’s EF! gathering will be building on these tactics with training in water based actions.

An excursion to visit communities in the North East threatened by an expansion of coal mining on Monday 24th August. Visit beautiful valleys and strong spirited communities and make links for ongoing resistance.

We aim to make the site as accessible as we can please contact us in advance if you have special needs, questions or concerns.

WHERE
The site is near in the Lake District, Cumbria. The nearest train station is Penrith and there is a bus service to the site, there are car and living vehicle spaces outside the camp.

Dogs: We are fortunate this year to be able to accommodate well behaved owners with dogs on leads but think about whether your dog will feel comfortable in workshops. Please call beforehand so we know numbers.

Cost: £20 – £30 according to what you can afford. We are not for profit all extra cash goes to help fund next year. Under 14’s free.

For more info contact us at :
summergathering@earthfirst.org.uk
www.earthfirstgathering.org.uk

Tens of Thousands Protest for Democracy in the Forests, India

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Orissa witness chakka jams, rasta rokos, dharnas, morchas and other protests.

Today in State capitals and district headquarters across the country, many tens of thousands of people joined morchas, dharnas and rasta rokos with the following demands:

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Orissa witness chakka jams, rasta rokos, dharnas, morchas and other protests.

Today in State capitals and district headquarters across the country, many tens of thousands of people joined morchas, dharnas and rasta rokos with the following demands:

* Halt Forest Department interference, exclusion of rights holders, and violation of people’s rights under under the Forest Rights Act;
* Recognise our right and power to protect and control our forests and resources;
* Stop illegally destroying forests and robbing us of our resources through diversion for private companies and large projects.

In a tragedy, four protesters were killed and two seriously injured in Devala, Udaipur District, when a lorry hit the protesters as their rasta roko was ending. The organisation is pursuing the case to ensure that the driver and other concerned persons are arrested and brought to justice. Those who lost their lives in the struggle will be honoured as martyrs.

Protests took place in the following States:

Rajasthan: Chakka jams took place in Banswada, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh Districts, in total in 12 locations. More than 6,000 people participated. The rasta rokos included a blockade on the National Highway at Chindwara More.

Orissa: More than 5,000 people participated in a chakka jam in Bhubaneshwar, shutting down the main crossroads in the city for more than two hours. People joined the demonstration from across the state. Protests also took place in major district headquarters.

Maharashtra: Rasta rokos took place throughout the State, in several locations in Thane District (on the Ahmedabad – Mumbai national highway), in two places in Raigad district, in 4 places in Nandurbar district (rasta rokos will continue over the next three days in other locations in the district).

Madhya Pradesh: Approximately 4,000 people from 20 districts joined a chakka jam in Bhopal for several hours. More than 3,000 people courted arrest and were arrested.

Gujarat: Mass rallies took place in Rajpipla (10,000 people), Dharampur (4,000 people), Sabarkantha District (dharnas at three locations). Protests will take place in Chota Udaipur, Vyara and Bhilwada are expected in the coming days, in which several thousand people are expected to participate.

Chhattisgarh: A mass dharna took place in Raipur in which approximately 1,000 people participated.

Jharkhand: People from Kunti, Hazaribagh and Ranchi district joined a mass demonstration in Ranchi. Rallies took place at the sub-divisional level in East Singhbhum and at the block level in Latehar, Palamau, West Singhbhum Districts.

The passage of the Forest Rights Act in December 2006 was a historic step forward for the struggle against the autocratic, brutal and repressive rule of colonial laws and the Forest Department in India’s forests. But the mere passage of a law is not enough to overturn a century of oppression. Today, the fight continues for a new order in the forests – one built around democracy instead of bureaucracy, around the people rather than the officials, and around the forests and their citizens rather than the corporates and capital.

Mapuche communities mobilize to reclaim land

Several Mapuche communities have begun to reclaim traditional lands in Araucania, central Chile.

The reclamation began on July 23, about 2 weeks after the government of Michelle Bachelet refused to sit down with a group of Mapuche activists and talk about their concerns as Indigenous People.

Several Mapuche communities have begun to reclaim traditional lands in Araucania, central Chile.

The reclamation began on July 23, about 2 weeks after the government of Michelle Bachelet refused to sit down with a group of Mapuche activists and talk about their concerns as Indigenous People.

The activists had traveled 680 km to meet with Bachelet, having already waited for weeks to hear from from Araucania’s governor about establishing a dialogue .

Before heading home, the group left Bachelet a letter, stating they would take action unless the govenrment addressed their concerns.

On July 23, the Mapuche began to occupy properties they identify as part of their traditional lands, including one held by a logging company. Roadblocks have also been set up in at least 5 different areas in Araucania.

The so-called leftist government finally decided to respond—with violence. The police were sent in to protect the logging company and evict the Mapuche – a “violent occupying force” as far as the government is concerned. “Both Mapuche and police were injured in the clashes” that followed, says IPS News.

Several other attacks against the Mapuche have also been reported.

Last week, the paramilitary group “Hernan Trizano Commando” also came forward and publicly threatened to blow up and “disappear from the world” several Mapuche leaders involved in the reclamation, starting August 3.

“In response, Senator Alejandro Navarro, the presidential candidate of a new political party, the Movimiento Amplio Social (MAS – Broad Social Movement) announced… that he would file a lawsuit invoking the anti-terrorism law against the paramilitary group,” IPS continues.

The government itself does not appear to be taking any formal action against this immediate threat. Instead, they are emboldening the vigilante group by claiming the Mapuche effort is nothing more than “violent actions” led by a small minority: seven of Chile’s 2,800 indigenous communities.

Juan Carlos Curinao, a Mapuche “Lonco” or Chief, responded to the claims in a recent interview with IPS.Curinao said that the mobilization is in fact led by 40 Loncos, who together represent every Mapuche subgroup.

He also said that the reclamation is non-violent. “We don’t carry weapons to go around hurting non-indigenous settlers, we are fighting for our culture. It is the state that has attacked us, shooting at us.”

“If I occupy property, it’s not violence; I am reclaiming my territory,” he added.

While “there is no solution in sight”—-in large part because the government refuses to abide by international law and sit down with the Mapuche—there’s a small chance that things will turn for the better this week. The Senate has announced that it will hold a special session on Wednesday, Aug. 5 to discuss “the security situation that is affecting the region of Araucanía.”

Updates in English:www.mapuche.nl. Updates in Spanish: www.observatorio.cl