On Thursday 19 October, we joined London mining network, War on Want, Colombia Solidarity Campaign and People & Planet, for a demonstration against BHP’s neocolonial extractivism. We stood in solidarity with frontline communities as representatives from these communities entered the mining giant’s AGM to make their demands. We also listened to powerful testimonies from the representatives.
We prepared a banner in solidarity of the Brazilian community affected by the Samarco Dam disaster. We hoped to amplify their demands that include “criminal liability for the companies involved (Samarco and its two owners, Vale and BHP), a thorough clean up of the mess and compensation that enables affected people to resume their livelihoods or begin new ones successfully.”
BHP are a global mining giant extracting coal, copper, iron and more everywhere from Cerrejon, Colombia to Arizona, US and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The health effects of the Samarco Dam disaster are profound and are still unraveling.
Here are some pictures: