protestbarrick.net is now an archive of Protest Barrick's work from 2007 until 2016.
For updates on Protest Barrick's current work, go to: https://protestbarrick.org

  Protest Barrick
Home About us Issues International Campaigns Press Actions

News Articles

Barrick�s environmental foes jump on wobbly miner
by  MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT Globe and Mail
April 25th, 2013
The long term outlook for Barrick shares hinges on many factors: the gold price is obviously the biggest driver, but the company also faces vociferous opposition from environmentalists and many residents around its mine sites, which should be a long term worry for shareholders.

Barrick AGM Protest in pictures
protestbarrick.net
April 24th, 2013
Protesters braved the rain to send a message to shareholders of Barrick Gold: "Barrick is a toxic asset, invest in life!" (all photos Allan.Lissner.net)

New Report! "Debunking Barrick"
by multiple authorsProtestBarrick
April 23rd, 2013
As Protest Barrick completes its sixth year of working with communities impacted by Barrick Gold, we are publishing a different kind of alternative annual report. We have noticed over the years that despite some of Barrick`s major abuses coming into light, the company has been able to maintain � within select circles � a reputation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Meanwhile, around the world, Barrick�s name is still associated with corruption, abuse and environmental harms.

2012-13: Un mal a�o para Barrick
April 19th, 2013
Extracto de "Debunking Barrick", un informe anual alternativo sobre Barrick Gold.

2012-13: A bad year for Barrick
excerpt of "Debunking Barrick", an alternative annual report on Barrick Gold
April 18th, 2013
Before you think about investing in Barrick, check out this timeline of actions against Barrick's operations around the world since last July.

CONFRONT BARRICK: 2013 AGM Protest and Alternative Annual Report!
Once a year, the board of Directors of the world�s most powerful gold mining corporation converge in downtown Toronto. This year, we're releasing a report that chronicles Barrick's lies and highlights the true stories behind their false CSR spin. Help us ensure that these stories don't get ignored.

Fly Over of Barrick Gold's Mine in Lake Cowal
by Natalie LowreySpecial to protestbarrick.net
February 4th, 2013
On Monday 4th February 2013, Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Nevillle 'Chappy' Williams and ProtestBarrick.net co-founders and editors Sakura Saunders (Canada) and Natalie Lowrey (Australia) took a cessna plane from Forbes to Lake Cowal in central western New South Wales, Australia to document a gold mine in the lake. The slideshow video of the recent flight over Lake Cowal shows Barrick's mine pit in the lake bed surrounded by water. On the flight there were hundreds of birds seen in the 1km square toxic tailings dams. Many of these birds have flown great distances to get here and cannot differentiate the difference between the water of Lake Cowal and the tailings dams of the mine. The contamination of water with cyanide and heavy metals by the mine is of major concern to Wiradjuri Traditional Owners and environmentalists.

Court Orders World�s Largest Gold Producer to Pay $140,000 for Death of Miner at Belle Mine
by Vittorio HernandezInternational Business Times
December 23rd, 2011
The Perth Magistrates Court fined Barrick Gold on Thursday $140,000 for the death of miner Daniel Williams in August 2009. Mr Williams fell into an ore chute at the underground mine of Barrick's Kanowna Belle gold mine near Kalgoorlie. Barrick is the world's largest gold producer. The company pleaded guilty to charges of failing to provide a safe work environment under the Mines Safety Act.

Pay Dirt?
by Michelle SlaterCastlemaine Independent
July 27th, 2011
Can gold ever be ethical?

Informe narrativo: Manifestaci�n contra reuni�n de accionistas de la Barrick, movilizando en apoyo a comunidades afectadas
El equipo ProtestBarrick.net est� actualmente en Toronto, Canad�, para la reuni�n anual general de la Barrick Gold y nuestra quinta gira con comunidades afectadas. Este a�o participan representantes de comunidades de Papua Nueva Guinea, y esperamos (si logren sus visas) que se sumar�n desde Tanzania y las Filipinas tambi�n.

Barrrick Gold confronted by angry protesters
For the fifth year in a row, Sakura Saunders shows up for the Barrick annual shareholders� meeting in Toronto. But once again, she is turned back by police and Barrick�s head of security despite the fact that she�s a shareholder.

REPORT BACK: Barrick shareholder protest, mobilising in support of impacted communities
The ProtestBarrick.net team is currently in Toronto, Canada for the Barrick Gold's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and our 5th speaking tour with Barrick mining impacted communities. This year we are joined by Papua New Guinean community and hopefully (visas permitting) community from Tanzania and the Philippines.

Protesting Barrick Gold, Gaining Momentum: Locked out of Barrick's annual general meeting, mining injustice activists build a protest movement
by Megan Kinch Toronto Media Co-op
Despite calls for rain, the day was sunny and beautiful for Wednesday's high energy protest against Barrick Gold's annual shareholder meeting (AGM) . According to some of the 100 or so activists in attendance, Barrick Gold's continuing disregard for human rights, indigenous sovereignty and the environment is the reason the count annual counter-protest to their AGM. They point out how earlier this year, Barrick Gold president Peter Munk excused the arrests of his security guards for raping women living near the Porgera mine site in Papua New Guniea by saying "Gang rape is a cultural habit" (see a response from the community here). Meanwhile, at the University of Toronto, Munk donations are used to divert public money away from social sciences and humanities and towards right-wing think tanks and branded institutes for "global studies' .

PHOTOS: Activist Protest Against Barrick Gold
On Wednesday, over 100 activists protested against Barrick Gold outside the Metro Convention Centre, where Barrick Gold was holding its annual shareholders' meeting.

[Espanol] AMIGOS DE LA TIERRA INTERNACIONAL SE SUMA A PROTESTAS CONTRA BARRICK GOLD '�Barrick Gold limpien el desastre! Derecho a la vida por encima de las ganancias del oro'
TORONTO [CANAD�], 27 de abril, 2011 � Hoy, durante la asamblea general anual (AGM) de la empresa minera Barrick Gold en Toronto (Canad�), Amigos de la Tierra Internacional apoya un fuerte llamado de las comunidades del mundo a detener la miner�a de oro y las pr�cticas destructivas de Barrick Gold. Campa�istas est�n presentes en la asamblea y se sumaron a una manifestaci�n frente al lugar. Barrick Gold, la minera de oro m�s grande del mundo, ha sido objeto de muchos estudios que documentan violaciones a los derechos humanos y devastaci�n ambiental a nivel mundial, en pa�ses como Filipinas, Tanzania y Australia.

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL JOINS PROTESTS AGAINST BARRICK GOLD 'Barrick Gold Clean Up Your Act! Right to Life Over Gold Profits'
TORONTO [CANADA], April 27, 2011 � Today, during the annual general meeting (AGM) of mining company Barrick Gold in Toronto (Canada), Friends of the Earth International is supporting a loud call from communities around the world for a halt to gold mining and Barrick Gold's destructive practices. Campaigners are present at the meeting and join a protest rally outside the meeting venue. Barrick Gold, the largest gold miner in the world, has been the subject of many documented studies of human rights abuses and environmental devastation globally, including in the Philippines, Tanzania and Australia.

Where NOT to put a cyanide leaching goldmine!
Save Lake Cowal Campaign
December 8th, 2010
On Sunday 21 November, Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville �Chappy� Williams, Friends of the Earth campaigner, Natalie Lowrey and photojournalist, Conor Ashleigh took an aerial flight over Lake Cowal.Lake Cowal is an ephemeral lake which has a wet and dry cycle of 20 years. The past 10 years has seen the central western NSW region where Lake Cowal is situated in drought, but many like Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville �Chappy� Williams has warned of the big wet seasons. In the past 6 weeks this area has seen huge amounts of rainfall, Lake Cowal is 75% full of water. Once paradise to much wildlife and leisure time for locals, Lake Cowal now has a large open cut pit penetrating into it lake bed.

Munk�s dubious mining morality
by John McKay, Liberal MP, OttawaThe Star.com: CANADIAN PRESS
Re: Lack of support for mining bill, Letter Oct. 31 Barrick Gold Corp.�s Peter Munk raises three very dubious moral arguments in his triumphalist celebration of the defeat of C-300. The first is that mining is important to our economy. True. Apparently as long as it is generating wealth for Canada, abuse of basic human rights, degradation of the host country�s environment, and criminal code offences are okay. Interesting moral equation.

Internationally Significant Environment, not clapped-out cattle country
by Diet SimonIndependent Media Center Australia
Over the past three days Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville 'Chappy' Williams has been back in the Land and Environment Court challenging Barrick Gold's expansion of its' cyanide leaching mine in Lake Cowal � the Sacred Heartland of the Wiradjuri Nation. �This is not a modification, it is a radical transformation which will destroy Aboriginal sites, including already registered sites and will further desecrate our country,� said Mr. Williams.

Mining Through Roots: Displacement, Poverty and the Global Extractive Industry
by Sakura Saunders, editor protestbarrick.net
July 3rd, 2010
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 5000 adults** live within the Special Mining Lease area of Barrick Gold's Porgera mine. They are desperately seeking resettlement into another area that could provide them with the means to live the subsistence lifestyle that remains the livelihood of 75% of the country. Their requests have been denied by the company, which prefers to offer individual cash payments to villagers as their homes fall victim to waste-related landslides and police-instigated arson.

The campaign to save Lake Cowal
by Felicity RoydsThe Green Left Weekly
March 13th, 2010
Lake Cowal, located between the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan rivers that feed into the Murray Darling basin, is the sacred heartland of the Wiradjuri country. The important wetland and conservation area is also home to an open-pit goldmine, operated by Canada-based multinational Barrick Gold.

Activists call for mine closures in face of Lachlan water crisis
savelakecowal.org
October 27th, 2009
Aboriginal elders and environmental activists are calling for mining in the Lachlan Catchment of New South Wales to be halted as the Wyangala Dam dries up.

Water crisis in west as Lachlan River runs dry
by MARIAN WILKINSON AND BEN CUBBYSydney Morning Herald
October 24th, 2009
THOUSANDS of households in western NSW are facing an unprecedented water crisis and the State Government is stepping up plans to help truck water to several towns, while others will be restricted to using water only for critical human needs.

Mine expansion delayed by Indigenous owners
by Simon ButlerGreenLeft Weekly
July 4th, 2009
The NSW Supreme court of appeal ruled on July 1 that a planned expansion of the Lake Cowal gold mine in the central-west of NSW cannot go ahead for up to three months.

** BARRICK MINING DISASTERS - Emergency Funds Needed **
May 21st, 2009
This has been a crazy past few weeks to be watchdogging Barrick Gold. Within the first week of starting our annual ProtestBarrick tour in Toronto, a Barrick-recommended military force in PNG started to torch hundreds of houses, allegedly to clear way for mine expansion. SO... we changed plans a bit, MiningWatch Canada sent an Urgent Appeal to several United Nations Special Rapporteurs and now we are now attending the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York! Amnesty International has also made a public statement on the recent events at Porgera.

MEDIA RELEASE: 28 peaceful protesters arrested after authorisation to occupy mine site
April 12th, 2009
28 protesters were arrested this morning at Barrick Gold's mine operation in Lake Cowal, central western New South Wales. They were authorised to enter the mine site by Wiradjuri Tradtional Owners of Lake Cowal and its surrounds.

MEDIA ALERT: Smoking ceremony, blockade and protesters occupy open cut pit halting mine operations.
April 12th, 2009
Wiradjuri Traditional Owners and supporters are inside Barrick Gold�s mine operation in Lake Cowal central western New South Wales currently halting operations. Wiradjuri are conducting a smoking ceremony inside the mine site. Over 10,000 artefacts have been stolen and kept by Barrick Gold Corporation at the mine site in a compound encircled by a 6 foot fence. Over 25 supporters are currently occupying the open-cut pit and several others are blockading the front gate to prevent shift change.

ACTION ALERT: Gold mine operation halted due to smoking ceremony
April 12th, 2009
Over 50 people have been lead to the edge of Barrick Gold Corporations mine site by Wiradjuri Traditional Owners of the Lake Cowal area in a ceremony to cleanse the land and to stop mine operations.

Indigenous activisits protest gold mine expansion
Radio Australia News
April 11th, 2009
In Australia, indigenous campaigners are holding a weekend-long protest to try to force the closure of a gold mine in central New South Wales.

MEDIA RELEASE: Protesters to halt mining operations - unsustainable mining harms Australia
April 11th, 2009
Concerned citizens have gathered in solidarity with Wiradjuri Traditional Owners of the Lake Cowal area to halt Barrick Gold Corporation�s mine operation in the lake. The campaign to Save Lake Cowal has been running for 10 years, this is the seventh gathering at Lake Cowal to protest the mine.

MEDIA RELEASE: Wiradjuri and Supporters Say No to Mine Expansion
April 10th, 2009
What: Lake Cowal Gathering: No Expansion! Shut Barrick Gold�s Mine Down! When: 10-13 April 2009 Where: Lake Cowal, central western New South Wales From the 10-13 April up to 100 people from around Australia will make the journey to Lake Cowal in central western NSW to support Wiradjuri Traditional Owners in their 10 year campaign against the worlds largest gold miner.

Corporate Social Responsibility Rules for Mining Industry Blasted: Barrick Gold Implicated
by Lee BerthiaumeEmbassy Magazine
April 1st, 2009
The Conservative government has rejected joint civil society-private sector calls to tie diplomatic and economic support for Canadian oil, gas and mining companies operating in developing countries to socially responsible conduct abroad. As a result, there are charges the government�allegedly influenced by mining giant Barrick Gold and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce�has given the green light for misbehaviour abroad, and killed the temporary peace between NGOs and mining companies.

UN to tackle mercury menace
by MICHAEL RICHARDSONThe Canberra Times
March 3rd, 2009
Fear sparked by global recession, strains on banks and volatile paper currencies has brought the glitter back to gold. Its value has been rising rapidly in recent months, as investors seek a safe-haven from the economic and financial storm.

Rees urged to ensure no Lake Cowal mine delays
ABC Riverina NSW
February 19th, 2009
Bland Shire Council will ask the New South Wales Premier to intervene to ensure no delay on the planned expansion of the Lake Cowal Gold Mine.

Barrick Australia says it will push ahead with plans to expand its Cowal Gold Mine at West Wyalong, despite a loss in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court.
ABC Central West NSW
February 10th, 2009
Barrick Gold has submitted a proposal to modify its development consent at the mine to almost double its size and extend its life by 11 years. Native title applicant Neville Williams started court action against the plan last November. On Friday, the Land and Environment Court upheld Mr Williams' challenge that the project is not a modification of the mine's existing development consent, but rather a radical transformation.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund drops yet another mining investment; this time it's Barrick
by Dorothy KosichMineweb
February 2nd, 2009
A dispute over the riverine disposal methods utilized by Barrick's Porgera Mine in Papua New Guinea has prompted Norway's Ministry of Finance to drop Barrick from Norway's Government Pension Fund-Global investments, valued at $188.3 million.

Is Gold the duddest of dud investments?
Commodity Online
February 2nd, 2009
Everyone is buying gold. The frantic pace with which people are buying gold have prompted some to comment that gold has lost value as a commodity. According to Merrill Lynch, gold is "the duddest of dud investments." Ever since the U.S. dollar went off the gold standard, gold has had no special value as a commodity, with only 280 tons going to industrial uses per year.

Super Pit mine expansion approved
Perth Now
AN expansion of the Super Pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie has won government approval but it must meet new and stringent environmental conditions.

Worst Companies in the World: US, Monsanto, Peabody and Barrick
by Brenda NorrellThe Narcosphere
The United States was voted the Worst Company in the World, followed by Monsanto, Peabody Energy Corp. and Barrick Gold

December Court Challenge to more Mining at Lake Cowal
ABC Online
November 17th, 2008
The case against the State Government and the mine's operator, Barrick Australia Limited, made by Neville Williams, has been listed for hearing on Monday, December 17.

Union, delegate fined for illegal strike at Lake Cowal
The Age
October 21st, 2008
A UNION has been fined $8000 and one of its delegates penalised $1100 over an illegal strike at the Lake Cowal gold mine nearly three years ago.

US and Canada Found Guilty of Racism
by Haider RizvinInter Press Service
August 8th, 2008
UNITED NATIONS - The international community now fully recognises the native peoples' right to protect their lands and live distinct lifestyles. Yet, most of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples continue to face abuse and injustices at the hands of state authorities and commercial concerns.

Kalgoorlie mine under review
by  Jamie FreedSydney Morning Herald
August 5th, 2008
NEWMONT MINING and Barrick Gold will start a review of the future of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit, after rising costs forced Newmont to report an accounting loss from the operation in the June quarter.

Meeting Crashers: Anti-mining activists confront shareholders at AGM
by Veronica Islashttp://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/1921
July 14th, 2008
It was the first time that Mexican Congressman Armando Barreiro, historian Juan Carlos Ruiz Guadalajara and hydraulic engineer Mario Martinez visited Toronto, but this trip was not a vacation.

Barrick fined $25,000 for 2006 tailings spill
by ANDREW HOBBSThe West Australian
July 7th, 2008
Canadian gold company Barrick will pay a $25,000 fine issued by the Department of Environment and Conservation for an environmental incident occurring at its Kanowna operations in November 2006.

Complaints unheard beneath Kalgoorlie mine din
by Narelle TowiePerth Now
July 6th, 2008
SAFE noise limits have been discarded so Australia's largest gold mine can expand to within 200m of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

S�minaire Droits autochtones et d�ploiement des transnationales mini�res
Invit�s Sergio Campusano, Chef de la communaut� autochtone Diaguita Huascoaltina, Chili
Neville � Chappy � Williams, Chef de la communaut� autochtone Wiradjuri, Australia
Jethro Tulin, Repr�sentant de la communaut� autochtone Ipili, Papouasie Nouvelle Guin�e

Participation sp�ciale William Sacher Co-auteur du livre Noir Canada : corruption, pillage et criminalit� en Afrique

Barrick Gold censors Indigenous Leaders' opposition to gold mining on their lands
May 7th, 2008
A delegation of Indigenous leaders travelled around the world to attend the Barrick Gold Annual General Meeting in Toronto today. They came to vent their opposition to Barrick Gold's mining practices on their lands.

ACTION ALERT: Protesters Demand Accountability Outside Barrick Gold's AGM
May 6th, 2008
On 6 May protesters gathered outside Barrick Gold's Annual General Meeting to protest the companies destructive mining operations around the world.

International Indigenous leaders attend Barrick Gold's Shareholder's meeting
May 6th, 2008
Indigenous leaders from Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the United States traveled to Canada this week to attend the shareholders� meeting of Barrick Gold. Here, they will make statements about Barrick's operations on their lands.

7th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Agenda Item 5 on human rights: dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people and other special rapporteurs I
April 29th, 2008
ntervention of Friends of the Earth International

by Mooka and Kalara United Families within the Wiradjuri Nation, Murray Darling Basin, Central New South Wales, Australia

7th United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, United Nations, New York Agenda Item 4.2: Pacific/Sustainable Development
Joint submission by Friends of the Earth International on behalf of Mooka and Kalara United Families within the Wiradjuri Nation,Murray Darling Basin, Central New South Wales, Australia in a joint intervention with

New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council Akali Tange Association Inc. Pogera Enga Province, Papua New Guinea Agence Kanak de Developpement Western Shoshone Defence Project, Nevada, USA Laura Calm Wind, Kitchenuhmay Koosib Inninuwug, Canada Comision Juridica para el Autodesarrollo de los Pueblos Originarios Andinos (CAPAJ), Andes Indigenous Peoples Links Centre for Organization Research and Education (CORE) First Indigenous Nations Civic Association of South Africa (FINCASA) Indigenous Environment Network (IEN)

Spread of mine sparks fears
by Narelle TowieThe Sunday Times
Kalgoorlie's super pit may be the goose that laid the golden egg, but moves to expand Australia's biggest goldmine are being bitterly opposed by neighbours.

Sisters take on mining giant
by Michael SwanCatholic Register
February 29th, 2008
The Quebec-based teaching order Les Soeurs des Sainte-Anne, with the backing of Les Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie and the union-backed pension and mutual fund company Batirente, want Barrick Gold Corp. to answer questions about the company�s $2.4-billion Pascua Lama project, an open pit gold mine the company is developing high in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile.

Goldmine swallowing historic town
by Kevin Andrusiak and Paige TaylorPerth Now
February 9th, 2008
IT is Australia's biggest goldmine, swallowing what is known as the world's richest square mile of dirt.

Section of Super Pit wall collapses
ABC News Online
February 9th, 2008
A 50-metre stretch of the wall at one of Australia's biggest open pit gold mines has collapsed.

KCGM in moves to reopen tailings dams
by Kevin AndrusiakThe Australian
THE more gold goes up, the further down the Kalgoorlie Super Pit partners want to go. Joint-venture owners Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold want to increase the heights of two controversial tailings dams, and re-open another, as part of its plans to expand Australia's biggest gold mine, the massive Super Pit operations in the West Australian goldfields capital of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

AFP investigating mining firms over conduct
by Nick McKenzieThe Age
SEVERAL Australian mining companies and executives are under investigation over alleged misconduct and dubious practices in the developing world, sparking calls for greater oversight.

PEAK MINERALS: Ground breaking report warns of resource depletion.
http://www.mpi.org.au
In an Australian first, mining data from as far back as 1829 has been collected and analysed by Monash University academic, Dr Gavin Mudd in conjunction with the Mineral Policy Institute to determine the long term sustainability of a range of Australia�s mineral resources.

Gold nears record high as oil sets a new one
by BloombergSydney Morning Herald
GOLD has reached a 27-year high as record oil prices heightened concerns that inflation will accelerate as a slumping US dollar boosted the appeal of precious metals as an alternative investment. Silver also gained a 26-year high.

Barrick in Australia: Carbon�s �conflict� stalls mine
by Robert Taylor, State Political EditorThe West
State Environment Minister David Templeman was forced to reopen the assessment process for the expansion of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit yesterday after it was revealed that the Government�s acting Environmental Protection Authority chairman Barry Carbon had worked as a consultant for the pit�s manager KCGM nine years ago.

Mine strike could cost unions $176,000 each
ABC News online
The Australian Building and Construction Commissioner will prosecute five unions over strike action at the Lake Cowal Gold Mine in central New South Wales.

Barrick Gold's Dirty Secrets
by Ellie Gilbert and Natalie LowreyGreen Left Weekly
The Canadian-owned Barrick Gold Corporation, the world�s largest gold producer, is exploring, building and operating huge, open-pit goldmines on nearly every continent on the planet.

MEDIA ALERT: Locals To Stop Cyanide Train
http://peacebus.com.cyber-pod.com/CyanideWatch/
Thursday 24th May @ 6pm Yellow Rock Road Pacific Highway (Between the Bellingen and Urunga turn off, NSW)

Protesters vow to continue gold mine protest
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
April 17th, 2006
Environmentalists are continuing to picket a New South Wales gold mine over the use of cyanide, which they claim will permanently poison the local water supply.

 

Join our e-mail list