| London: Colombian farmers evicted by British mining companies |
|
|
Monday 29 January 2007, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
|
|
|
|
Representatives of African-Colombian and Indigenous families evicted from their land in the province of La Guajira, Colombia to make way for a massive opencast coal mine: - Jose Julio Perez, President of the Relocation Committee of the village of Tabaco
- Armando Perez, legal representative of displaced communities and associate of Yanama, a Wayuu Indigenous organization
- Alirio Uribe, Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective, Bogotá.
Many communities have been forced from their land since the mine opened in the 1970s. The village of Tabaco was demolished in 2001 just after British-based companies bought into the project. Many inhabitants accepted the inadequate financial compensation on offer, others are still holding out for community relocation so that they can continue living as a community and farming the land as they did before. The British-based companies that now own the mine are Anglo American, BHPBilliton and Xstrata. All raise money on the London Stock Exchange. Anglo American has its head office in London. Many pension funds invest in these companies. Many ordinary working people in Britain, without knowing it, are benefiting from the destruction of farming communities in Colombia by the world's richest mining multinationals. All three companies have good reputations as socially and environmentally responsible enterprises. The reality is very different. Come and hear the communities’ side of the story. Visit arranged by Colombia Solidarity Campaign Meeting co-sponsored by ABColombia (www.abcolombia.org.uk) Leaflet |
Location: The Auditorium, Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2
Contact: info@colombiasolidarity.org.uk
|
| (nearest tube Old Street) |
Events 
