Barrick shareholder protest, mobilising in support of impacted communities

Please have a look at the following links and report back below from the day of action against Barrick Gold. Please forward through your networks, facebook, twitter or simply tell a friend over a cup of tea. It is important that we share these stories in whatever way we can, support these very inspiring communities resisting against the destruction of their lives and livelihoods and bring an end to corporate impunity. Barrick Gold is the largest gold miner but is one of many extractive corporations that is desecrating environments and lives for their bottom line. The right to life is more valuable than gold profits!

MEDIA

[English] Barrick Gold Clean Up Your Act! Right to Life Over Gold Profits

[Espanol] '�Barrick Gold limpien el desastre! Derecho a la vida por encima de las ganancias del oro'

[English] Impacted Community Confronts Barrick Gold on Human Rights Abuses, Company Lies, and Cultural Slurs

[English] Communities in Argentina and Chile protest while Barrick Gold�s shareholders meet in Toronto

[Espanol] Los glaciares y el clima NO se venden

[English] [French] MEDIA ROUNDUP from Protest Barrick AGM

PHOTOS / AUDIO / VIDEO

VIDEO from Protest Barrick rally outside the shareholder meeting (Thanks to Allan from http://allan.lissner.net)

PHOTOS from the Protest Barrick rally outside the shareholder meeting (Thanks to Allan from Rabble.ca)

AUDIO from the Protest Barrick rally outside the AGM (Thanks to Allan from Rabble.ca)

LISTEN to Test Their Logik's song 'Bling Is Dead' performed live outside Barrick Gold's Headquarters

INFO MATERIALS

[English] Statements from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Tanzania to Barrick Gold shareholders and Board of Directors

[English] Leaflet handed out to Barrick Gold shareholders: A Right to Life Not Gold Profits

[English] Leaflet handed out to African Barrick Gold shareholders: Barrick Gold Clean Up Your Act! Community and Livestock Threatened in Tanzania

REPORT BACK FROM BARRICK AGM AND PROTEST

200 PEOPLE STRONG PROTEST BARRICK RALLY OUTSIDE THE SHAREHOLDER MEETING
Outside the meeting up to 200 people gathered with colour and music rallying against Barrick's ongoing environmental and human rights abuses around the world. MC'd by ProtestBarrick.net editor, Sakura Saunders speakers included: Catherine Coumans, Mining Watch Canada; Natalie Lowrey, Friends of the Earth Australia; Jacob Nuremberg, Anthropology student the University of Toronto (UofT) and organiser for the UofT General Assembly and Munk Out of UofT campaign; Illian Burbano, CUPE International Solidarity; Marcos from Latin American Solidarity Coalition and Jethro Tulin from the Porgera Alliance.

The rally started outside Barrick's shareholder meeting at the Toronto Metro Convention Center then we all marched to Barrick Gold's head office.

The rally was supported by: :: http://foei.org :: http://protestbarrick.net :: http://porgeraalliance.net/ :: http://savelakecowal.org/ :: http://munkoutofuoft.wordpress/ :: http://foei.org/ :: http://leat.or.tz/ :: http://foe.org.au/ :: http://solidarityresponse.net/ :: http://ejtoronto.wordpress.com/ :: http://cupe.on.ca/doc.php?subject_id=253

PROXY TICKET HOLDER AND SHAREHOLDER DENIED ACCESS INTO BARRICK GOLD SHAREHOLDER MEETING

Natalie Lowrey, ProtestBarrick.net co-editor and campaigner with Friends of the Earth, two community members from Barrick-impacted mining areas in Porgera and a ProtestBarrick.net supporter, on behalf of Tanzanian community, had prepared statements and questions to be asked inside the shareholder meeting which took place yesterday 27 April 2011. 

Natalie was denied getting in to the shareholder meeting as a proxy holder. As soon as she walked in to the registration desk she was surrounded by three burly cops that knew my name, she was asked whether I was there to disrupt which she replied 'No', that she was there to ask questions on Barrick Gold's mine in Lake Cowal, Australia. Nat was then handed over to a man that was an official Barrick Gold security. He also asked her what her intentions were. When he led Nat back to the registration desk she noted a piece of paper with her name, the PNG reps names and a few other names that have been campaigning with communities impacted by Barrick Gold. They ended up telling Nat that her proxy hadn't been registered.

Nat went back outside and asked Sakura who is also a co-editor of ProtestBarrick.net to go in as she was a shareholder. They also refused to let her in. She is now in process to see of she can sue Barrick Gold as it is illegal to not let a shareholder in.

Meanwhile the two community members from Porgera, PNG, Jethro Tulin and Porgeran landowner Mark Ekepa were delayed getting into Canada therefore couldn't get into the meeting to ask their questions. This saga had started the night before when they were trying to leave the United States. As they were going through the boarding process they were stopped and told that they couldn't go to Canada because they didn't have visas. Both have come to Canada for the past three years and never had this problem, PNG is part of the commonwealth so they have never needed visas to get into the Canada. We are not sure if the power of Barrick is behind this but it appears the visa situation for people from PNG has changed very recently ... that is still getting investigated.

A supporter, Pieter also had a proxy to ask questions on behalf of the Lawyers Environmental Action Team/Friends of the Earth Tanzania. Fortunately he got in as he had never been directly associated with the work of ProtestBarrick.net. Before he read the Tanzanian statement and questions he also stated that I had not been allowed in with my proxy and that the Papua New Guineas hadn't made it in time. Aaron Regent, the CEO of Barrick Gold stated that it was a shame that the Papua New Guinean's flight had been delayed. How did Barrick Gold know that the Papua New Guinean's plane was delayed? This does pose the question whether Barrick Gold is trying all avenues to make sure affected communities don't get to ask questions inside their shareholder meetings.

Thank you
Thanks for your ongoing support. We have two mining conferences we will be attending with other mining impacted communities before we hit the road for a speaking tour to Southern Ontario, Montreal and New York for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. We will be keeping you posted, you can also get updates by joining ProtestBarrick.net facebook and twitter

cheers

The ProtestBarrick.net Team