Autor: solidaritynogoldeditor

On November 9th, thousands of protesters in dozens of marches took the streets around Greece demanding that the Skouries forest is saved from toxic gold mining and that the prosecutions of the people resisting the exctraction are stopped. At the same time, several events were organized around the world in support and solidarity with the Skouries struggle!

In Bucharest, Romania, where the people have a struggle of their own to save Rosia Montana from a similar disastrous mining project, protesters raised banners outside the Greek embassy.

Banners were also displayed in other places in Romania.

In London, U.K., the protesters against the Skouries gold mine joined forces with those defending Rosia Montana. They marched together to the Canadian embassy to protest the two disastrous mining projects promoted by Canadian companies Eldorado Gold and Gabriel Resources respectively.

In Istanbul, Turkey, in a country also affected by Eldorado Gold’s disastrous activity, solidarity banners were displayed around the city.

In Amsterdam, The Netherlands, a solidarity group managed to find the letterbox that serves as Eldorado Gold’s subsidiary Hellas Gold “headquarters”. This practice is common for multinationals in order to take advantage of Holland´s tax breaks.

In Venice, Italy, activists of Rivolta social center and Morion squatted theatre protested and held a banner in front of the Greek consulate.

In Paris, France, protesters ignored the rainy weather to hold solidarity banners against the backdrop of the Eiffel tower. Slogans of solidarity with the workers of ERT, the public broadcaster that was raided by riot police on November 7^th, were also displayed.

In Vienna, Austria, a group of people raised solidarity banners and handed out leaflets to the passers-by. They were also joined by people protesting the destruction of Rosia Montana in Romania.

In Berlin, Germany, on Sunday morning, there was also a joint mobilization of solidarity with the residents of Halkidiki and Rosia Montana! The protesters gathered at the Romanian embassy and then moved on to the Gendarmenmarkt square. There, a banner was raised and the road movie “Corridor X“, detailing the Skouries struggle, was screened. The Greek Solidarity Committee in Berlin also informed against the eviction of the ERT-building in Greece.

In Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday evening, activists distributed leaflets, clarifying the situation in Greece, while others held a spontaneous demonstration, with banners and flares, near the Greek Consulate, which they «decorated» with posters against gold mining in Halkidiki.

In Dusseldorf, Germany, on Friday morning, protesters occupied the Greek consulate and hung a solidarity banner. 5 protesters were arrested by the police in front of the building, four of which were later released. The declaration on the occupation of the Consulate can be found here (German).

In Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, protesters gathered in front of the greek embassy, holding a banner of solidarity with Halkidiki

In Belgrade, Serbia, solidarity slogans were spray-painted across the road from the Greek embassy.

In Brussels, Belgium, a solidarity group protested against Skouries by displaying with pride their “SOS Halkidiki” T-shirts.

We want to express our strong solidarity with your struggle against the Skouries gold mine and especially with the 210 activists legally persecuted.

Your struggles are our struggles.

They are struggles against the commodification and financialization of common goods, against the destruction of our livelihoods, against the selloff of any public asset.

We will not surrender to the collusion between neoliberal governments and transnational corporations, let’s unify our struggles and build a global resistance movement opposing together the growing criminalization and repression of any form of dissent.

Let’s stop the Skouries mine, let’s stop the privatization of EYATH and EYDAP.

Roma, 07/11/2013

Italian Forum of Water Movements

Nosotros, la gente del movimiento contra la minería destructiva en Calcídica, nos dirigimos de nuevo a vosotros, nuestros/as conciudadanos/as, nuestros/as compañeros/as, nuestros/as hermanos/as.

En Grecia hoy se está cometiendo un crimen. Bajo el pretexto de la crisis financiera, el medio ambiente, los derechos humanos, la dignidad humana, la democracia, la libertad de expresión, la calidad de vida se sacrifican en el altar de los intereses empresariales, las ambiciones políticas y de un capitalismo neoliberal que en Grecia muestra su cara más inhumana.

En Calcídica, estamos experimentando desde hace mucho tiempo las consecuencias de la política de «la salvación del país a cualquier precio.» En detrimento de las vidas humanas, de los derechos humanos, del medio ambiente.

En nuestra tierra se pretende emprender un mega-proyecto de minería que amenaza con destruir un bosque de singular belleza y valor ecológico. Amenaza con contaminar las aguas subterráneas, el aire, la tierra y el mar. Amenaza nuestras actividades económicas. Peligra e hipoteca el futuro de nuestros hijos.

El movimiento social de protesta y resistencia contra estos planes destructivos ha sufrido la contundente represión estatal, la violencia policial, la persecución, el encarcelamiento, la difamación, la censura, la criminalización. A pesar de todo, seguimos fuertes. Seguimos afirmando enérgicamente nuestro derecho a vivir y a soñar.

Nuestra fuerza surge del amor por nuestra tierra, por nuestro espacio físico y cultural. Nuestra fuerza es nuestra unidad en la lucha conjunta por la vida. Nuestra fuerza es la solidaridad.

El 9 de noviembre nos reuniremos en Tesalónica en una manifestación masiva de protesta, de reclamo y de solidaridad.

Os invitamos, en la misma fecha, a apoyar nuestra lucha,  a organizar, en vuestros propios lugares, una acción de solidaridad.

Sólo unidos y en solidaridad podemos reivindicar un presente digno y un futuro mejor.

COMITES DE LUCHA DE CALCIDICA Y TESALONICA

Fotos de la pancarta del comité de solidaridad con los encausados por la lucha contra las minas de oro, utilizado en el evento del 4/10/13 delante del cine Olympion.