[IPSM] Mexican Mine Battle Comes To Toronto (June 17)

[willowtree at mts.net]

FYI...

http://intercontinentalcry.org/mexican-mine-battle-comes-to-toronto-june-17/


    Mexican Mine Battle Comes To Toronto (June 17)

The Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO, Spanish for Broad Opposition Front), an 
anti-mining movement based in Mexico and Montreal, is urgently seeking 
organizers and solidarity activists to help spread the word and support 
an upcoming mobilization in Toronto. They are sending a delegation to 
attend Metallica Resources’ shareholder meeting on June 17th.

According to the FAO-Montreal website 
<http://faomontreal.wordpress.com/the-struggle-for-san-pedro/>,

    [the Toronto-based company] is currently embroiled in one of
    Mexico’s most important legal, social and environmental conflicts,
    one triggered by its operation of an open-pit cyanide-leached mining
    operation at the Cerro de San Pedro in the state of San Luis Potosí.
    [see video below]

    “To date its Mexican subsidiary, Minera San Xavier, has been accused
    of influence-peddling and corruption amongst state and
    national-level politicians. This has allowed the company to operate
    despite numerous rulings by Mexican courts that have revoked the
    company’s operating permits. Minera San Xavier has also been accused
    of orchestrating or abetting the murder, harassment and intimidation
    of local opposition to the mine, one of whom, Enrique Rivera Sierra,
    is currently in Canada claiming political asylum.

Accompanied by Lorena Gil, Enrique Rivera will be attending the June 
17th mobilization, along with Armando Barreiro - a federal elected 
parliamentarian; Carlos Covarrubias - a lawyer and government ‘regidor’ 
or advisor with the opposition party (PRD) who works on the Agrarian 
Tribunal legal case for Cerro de San Pedro; and Don Mario Martinez - a 
retired mineral engineer, resident of Cerro de San Pedro and Frente 
Amplio Opositor (FAO) activist.

Courtesy of Rights Action <http://rightsaction.org>, here is the FAO’s 
Call to Action:


        THE METALLICA RESOURCES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: PICKET AND
        CREATIVE ACTION

Date: June 17th. Time: 10:00 am. Place: Sutton Place Hotel, 955 Bay St., 
Toronto, ON. (http://www.toronto.suttonplace.com/)


        ¡¡¡CERRO DE SAN PEDRO: MEXICAN MINE BATTLE COMES TO TORONTO!!!

Since 1997, residents of the Mexican village of Cerro de San Pedro and 
the surrounding area have been fighting a large-scale open-pit gold and 
silver mine. Canadian corporation Metallica Resources Inc. has backed 
the project since its inception.

[As of March 2007, the Canadian Pension Plan has over Cdn$11,000,000 
invested in this company.]

Mining operations began in 2006 without required environmental permits 
and despite the repression of dissent, a political assassination, and 
widespread allegations of corruption. In July 2008, Metallica Resources 
will merge with two other junior mining firms to form New Gold Inc.

Join Mexican anti-mine activists at the site of Metallica Resource’s 
shareholder meeting as they bring the resistance to Canada and give 
future New Gold shareholders a preview of the battle ahead.


        CALL FOR SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY

The Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO), the anti-mine movement located in 
Mexico and Montreal, is urgently seeking organizers and solidarity 
activists to spread the word and support our mobilization in Toronto. We 
are looking for people who can help with outreach and mobilization, and 
who may be interested in organizing other events with the Mexican 
delegates. Please contact us at cerrodesanpedro at gmail.com for more 
information. Members of FAO Montreal are available for trips to Toronto 
to organize actions in the coming weeks.

For photos of an anti-Metallica action in Montreal in 2007: 
http://photos.cmaq.net/v/fao/

For more information on the struggle in Cerro de San Pedro, Mexico: 
http://faomontreal.wordpress.com/ or http://cerrodesanpedro.org

To get in touch: cerrodesanpedro at gmail.com