Friday 25 October
Jazmin Romero Epiayu, from the Wayuu indigenous people of Colombia, inspired everyone at the meeting, by the strength of her character and her determination to work peacefully for the rights of her people and their ancestral territory, even though she knows she is putting her life at risk by doing this. Her people have lived in the area for thousands of years but, she said, ‘it seems as if the coal company is trying to exterminate us’. She continued, ‘The indigenous peoples of Colombia and Latin America are fighting for the freedom and the respect of Mother Earth. No more mining. No more exploitation. We demand that our ancestral territories remain ours. Our people are defiant and courageous. For ever.’
The mine, already the largest open-cast mine in Latin America, has swallowed whole Wayuu villages, displaced people, and polluted land, air and water. At the beginning of October, Jazmin and over 2,000 other indigenous people from Colombia who are trying to stop the expansion of the mine, blockaded the railway which takes coal from the mine to the port, and kept it closed for a week. Cerrejón is owned by three UK-listed mining companies, including BHP Billiton whose AGM Jasmin will attend. The companies receive money from HSBC, Barclays, RBS and Lloyds.
The Reading group are joining in WDM’s campaign to stop UK banks pouring billions of pounds into fossil fuels.
‘Next Action Saturday 9th November. ‘
