Militant Action in Toronto Denounces Crimes of Mining Industry
More than 100 people gathered in front of the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on March 5 to denounce the widespread human rights abuses and environmental degradation caused by Canadian and foreign mining monopolies based in Canada. The occasion was the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)'s annual conference and gala dinner honouring various mining monopolies such as Barrick which have a historical record of carrying out violence against Indigenous land defenders across the globe.
One of the main themes of this year's protest was the close link between the mining industry and imperialist war and aggression. Speakers pointed out that without the mining industry that provides critical minerals for war production, the military would have difficulty prosecuting wars around the world. Production of the weapons and military equipment that is being supplied by the U.S., Canada and others to Israel to carry out its brutal genocide against the Palestinians was highlighted by Rawan Nabil, a representative of the Palestine Youth Movement. She gave the example of the F-35 fighter jets being used to bomb Palestinian civilians. She denounced the genocide against the Palestinian people and called on the Canadian government to stop supplying arms and equipment to the Zionist state of Israel.
Nisrin Elamin spoke on behalf of the Sudan Solidarity Collective about the Lundin Group, one of the companies being feted at the PDAC awards gala. She noted that the company is currently on trial in a Swedish court for aiding and abetting war crimes in Sudan between 1999 and 2003, which resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of people, the displacement of countless others and the destruction of homes and crops, which sparked the first phase of the genocide in Darfur. "This company not only has blood on its hands but it co-created the conditions that sparked a genocide in Western Sudan and escalated the civil war in South Sudan. And the Lundin Group is not alone, they are part of a consortium of mining, oil and weapons manufacturing companies that are seeing their stocks rise as civilians in Gaza, Sudan and Congo are being murdered," she said.
Another theme of the action was the devastation caused by mining and resource extraction on Indigenous land in Canada and abroad. Chief Rudy Turtle of the Grassy Narrows First Nation denounced the Canadian government and the Ontario government for refusing to respect a moratorium his community has passed on further mining activity. He observed that Grassy Narrows has suffered and continues to suffer from industrial pollution and that enough is enough. He observed that when mines and other resource extraction companies trespass and carry out activity on Indigenous lands, it is the people and the environment that suffer and that the Indigenous people are left with the damage.
Pauline Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation echoed Chief Turtle's sentiments, pointing out that in her small community in the Nishnawbe Aski Territory north of Thunder Bay, which is in the Ring of Fire, outside mining interests continue to push her people aside with no consideration for them or the land. Consultations are a farce and every effort is made to undermine her people's right to self-determination. However, she vowed, Neskantaga and other First Nations in the north will continue to resist attempts by mining companies and governments to pillage the resources of the land, including the mineral resources.
A youth activist from Brazil working for the organization Amazon Watch noted that more than 50 organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean have mapped 37 Canadian projects in the region including in the Amazon Basin. They have found widespread human rights abuses including forced dislocations, violence against Indigenous leaders and land defenders, and destruction of the environment which sustains the lives of Indigenous Peoples. The vast majority of the projects are on Indigenous lands and most of the mining is for gold.
The destruction of the environment was another theme of the action. As well as denouncing the provision of critical minerals for the U.S. war machine and other militaries, the action addressed the bogus claims of mining companies that providing raw materials for electric cars will "protect" the environment. Chuka Ejeckam of the Black Alliance for Peace pointed out that many of the critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries, such as lithium and coltan, come from Africa. He noted that mining companies are exploiting Africans with horrific working conditions and slave wages to reap maximum profits. He said, "The companies inside this gala are celebrating their ability to generate profit at the expense of all life on this planet. By acting as a global home for these companies, Canada is helping facilitate the crimes these companies commit. This is indefensible."
The action ended on a high note with participants pledging to step up their efforts to hold the mining companies and governments to account for the exploitation and degradation of Mother Earth. They also pledged to step up efforts to protect the natural and human environment and to create a prosperous and sustainable future for all.
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 20 - March 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54209.HTM
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