If you support the following declaration we would appreciate the expression of your support. All you need to do is send a message to Dr. Juan Carlos Ruiz Guadalajara jcruizguadalajara@gmail.com with your name or the name of your organization and the statement: “Yes I support the declaration, please add my name” Please distribute this on your networks. We thank you for your solidarity.

FAO – Frente Amplio Opositor a la Minera San Xavier.

To the publics of Mexico and across the World.

On the 24th of September, 2009 the ninth Tribunal of the first circuit courts ordered the Federal Tribunal of Fiscal and Administrative Justice to emit its sentence on the suit presented by Pro San Luis Ecologico (Exp. 170/00-05-02-9/634/01-PL-10-04-QC-DA, pages 239 and 240). It reads:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND WIDESPREAD DISTRIBUTION:

MEXICAN SUPERIOR COURT ORDERS THE IMMEDIATE END OF NEW GOLD (TSX: NGD)-MINERA SAN XAVIER’S MINING PROJECT AT CERRO DE SAN PEDRO, SAN LUIS POTOSI

October 29th, 2009.
San Luis Potosí

On the 24th of September, 2009 the ninth Tribunal of the first circuit courts ordered the Federal Tribunal of Fiscal and Administrative Justice to emit its sentence on the suit presented by Pro San Luis Ecologico. It reads:

“…the plaintiff’s suit is well-founded. Be it resolved, on basis of art. 239-B:IV of the Federal Fiscal Code, that the authorization accorded to Minera San Xavier, S.A. de C.V. in the permit S.G.P.A./DGIRA.DG.0567/06 by the Director General of Environmental Impacts and Risks at the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) is null and void. By our order the SEMARNAT, which has already ignored a previous ruling by the court on the 5th of October, 2005, has 20 days to advise the affected party and carry out the sentence.”

CONCLUSIONS:

a)      SERMARNAT, in complicity with Minera San Xavier, violated the law by granting the company its permit on the 10th of April, 2006. This was made clear in the Federal Court’s sentence of the 5th of October of 2005 which stated that not even in a conditional form could the SEMARNAT emit the land-use change permit to the company.

b)      This violation of the law involved a diverse set of people, principally the managers of the company, authorities of the previous state, federal and municipal levels, as well as various members of the Partido de Acción Nacional. These individuals must be judged and punished.

c)      With this sentence, Minera San Xavier has lost its single-most important operating permit (which, indeed, it never had). We must also remember here the long line of injunctions against the company that were obtained by the members of the Nucleo Ejidal Cerro de San Pedro, injunctions that have been systematically ignored.

d)      The illegal work of New Gold – Minera San Xavier has created severe and irremediable consequences for the natural environment of the Valley of San Luis, such as the loss of a unique environmental and historical heritage for the Mexican nation.

THIS SENTENCE BEGINS THE FINAL LEGAL COLLAPSE OF NEW GOLD –MINERA SAN XAVIER. THE COMPANY HAS NO LATER THAN THE 15TH OF NOVEMBER TO CEASE ALL ITS OPERATIONS. THIS IS A HISTORIC TRIUMPH THAT WE WILL DEFEND WITH ALL OUR DETERMINATION.

STOP THE IMPUNITY!

HALT THE ILLEGAL OPERATIONS OF NEW GOLD-MINERA SAN XAVIER IMMEDIATELY!

PUNISHMENT OF THE GUILTY PARTIES!

Given the above, the Frente Amplio Opositor a la Minera San Xavier demands the immediate intervention of the state’s new authorities to stop this ecocidal company and to begin an investigation that will identify the culprits and bring them to justice for their crimes against Mexico’s national sovereignty.

TO ALL THE CITIZENS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO STAND IN SOLIDARITY HERE IN MEXICO AND ACROSS THE WORLD:

THE FAO IS PUTTING OUT AN URGENT CALL FOR HELP IN SPREADING NEWS OF THE IMINENT DEPARTURE OF NEW GOLD-MINERA SAN XAVIER FROM THE CERRO DE SAN PEDRO POTOSI.

WE WILL BE WATCHING THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES. WE ASK THAT BY JUSTICE AND REASON THEY HELP US IN THE IMMEDIATE APPLICATION OF THE LAW.

THE DESTRUCTION OF CERRO DE SAN IS A DEEP WOUND FOR THE VALLEY OF SAN LUIS. IT IS BUT ONE OF MANY OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS GENERATED BY CORRUPTION AND INFLUENCE PEDDLING.

IMMEDIATE APPLICATION OF THE LAW AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CULPRITS! IF THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN WE WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY.

“THE HOURS OF THE POLITICAL CLOCK ARE ALSO NUMBERED; THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF THE COUNTRY MUST NOT FORGET THIS.”
– SALVADOR NAVA.

We leave you with the contact information for various authorities, Mexican and Canadian, so that you can help us demand the immediate application of the law. This declaration is accompanied by a press release with a synthesis of the legal struggles surrounding this case since 2005 which details the violations committed by government authorities and the company with severe environmental, social and juridical consequences for the nation. Lastly, as a gift, we include the link to the video clip of Lic. Hector Barri’s press conference delivered in San Luis Potosí which explains this final chapter. New Gold must now answer for the damages it has created through this illegality.

Thank you for your solidarity. We will keep you all informed.

-FAO-

Lic. Hector Barri’s Press Conference: Minera San Xavier-New Gold must leave Cerro de San Pedro

http://proyectocerro.blogspot.com/2009/10/fao-conferencia-prensa-28-oct-09.html

Guillermo E. Rishchynski, Ambassador of Canada to Mexico
guillermo.rishchynski@international.gc.ca,

Douglas Challborn, Canadian Embassy in Mexico
douglas.challborn@international.gc.ca

Lic. Fernando Gómez Mont, Secretario de Gobernación:
secretario@segob.gob.mx

Ministro Presidente Guillermo I. Ortiz Mayagoitia
SUPREMA  CORTE D E JUSTICIA  DE  LA  NACION
administrator@mail.scjn.gob.mx <administrator@mail.scjn.gob.mx>

Dr. José Luís Soberanes Fernández, Presidente de la CNDH,
presidencia@cndh.org.mx correo@cndh.org.mx

FELIPE DE JESÚS CALDERÓN HINOJOSA
Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Residencia Oficial de los Pinos Casa Miguel Alemán
Col. San Miguel Chapultepec, C.P. 11850, DISTRITO FEDERAL, México
Teléfono (55) 50935300
felipe.calderon@presidencia.gob.mx

LUIS FELIPE BRAVO MENA
Secretario Particular del C. Presidente de la República
luisfelipe.bravomena@presidencia.gob.mx

Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada
Secretario del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
c.secretario@semarnat.gob.mx

MICHAËLLE JEAN
Gobernadora General de Canadá
info@gg.ca

STEPHEN HARPER
Primer Ministro del Canadá
pm@pm.gc.ca

FAO-Montréal vous invite à participer à l’atelier « Undermine ! », le dimanche 12 octobre 2009 de 14h30 à 16h15 dans la salle 8.81 du Cégép Vieux-Montréal (255 rue Ontario O).  FAO-Montréal sera parmi les 350 ateliers qui seront présentés du 9 au 12 octobre au Forum Social Québecois 2009 (www.forumsocialquebecois.org) . Les ateliers de FAO-Montréal et Vers un tribunal des peuples couronnent une fin de semaine remplie d’activités relatives à la lutte populaire contre les impacts négatifs des mégaprojets industriels présentée par la Coalition québecoise sur les impacts socio-environnementaux des multinationales en Amérique Latine. Le programme du Bloc thématique « Les peuples face aux mégaprojets : résistance et stratégies » est disponible ici.

FAO-Montreal invites you to “Undermine!” (details after the jump), a workshop on Sunday, October 12th, from 2:30pm to 4:15pm in room 8.81 at the Cégep Vieux-Montréal (255 Ontario St. W).  FAO-Montreal will be among the 350 workshops being offered October 9 – 12 at at the Québec Social Forum 2009 (www.forumsocialquebecois.org). The workshops by FAO-Montreal and Vers un tribunal des peuples will cap off a weekend-long series on popular resistance to industrial megaprojects brought to you by the Coalition québecoise sur les impacts socio-environnementaux des multinationales en Amérique Latine. The programme of the Coalition’s thematic bloc “Les peoples face aux mégaprojets: résistance et strategies” is available here (French only).

_________________________

Undermine ! Analyse critique de l’industrie minière mondiale et stratégies de résistance

Date: Dimanche, octobre 11, 2009, 14:30 – 16:15

Cet atelier s’adresse aux groupes, organisations et individus qui luttent contre la destruction socio-environnementale causée par l’industrie minière. Après une courte analyse de la gouvernance du secteur minier mondial, les participants seront invités à discuter de stratégies de résistance. Le but est de former un éventuel réseau de groupes divers qui pourront, selon leur expertise et leurs moyens, agir en concert sur différents fronts.

Langue: Bilingue Anglais -Français, traduction chuchotée anglais-français-espagnol disponible.

Salle: Cégep Vieux-Montréal 8.81

_________________________

Undermine! A Critical Analysis of the Global Mining Industry and Resistance Strategies

Date: Sunday, October 11^th 2009, 2:30pm – 4:15pm

This workshop is meant for groups, organisations, and individuals involved in the struggle against the social and environmental destruction brought on by the global mining industry. After a brief analysis of the global mining industry’s governance system, participants will be able to discuss available strategies of resistance. The goal is to build a network of diverse groups who, according to their expertise and capacity, could act in a coordinated manner on different fronts.

Language: Bilingual French-English, whisper translation to French, English, and Spanish available.

Room: Cégep Vieux-Montréal 8.81

_________________________

Undermine! Análisis crítica de la minería mundial y estrategias de resistencia

Fecha: Domingo, 11 de octubre 2009, 2:30pm – 4:15pm

El taller concierne a los grupos, organizaciones y individuos involucrados en la lucha contra la destrucción social y ambiental causada por la industria minera mundial. Después de una breve análisis de la gobernáncia del sector minero global, los participantes podrán discutir de la estrategias de resistencia. El objetivo es de consolidar una red de grupos quienes podrán, según sus capacidades y su experiencia, actuar en concierto sobre varios frentes.

Idioma: Blingue Ingles-Francés, traducción ingles-francés-español disponible.

Lugar: Cégep Vieux-Montréal 8.81

Instalación de la protesta frente a la embajada de Canadá Foto Carlos Ramos Mamahua

ANTI-MINING GROUPS STAGE 36 HOUR SIT-IN AT CANADIAN EMBASSY IN MEXICO CITY

Community members and anti-mining groups from across Mexico gather to mark the first Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining

On the morning of July 21st, Canadian Embassy workers in Mexico City were greeted by an assortment of angry community members, paper-maché pigs, anti-mining banners, life-sized rats and a photo-exhibit highlighting the impacts of a Canadian-owned open-pit mine.

The embassy was surrounded by a display of colourful resistance for the next 36 hours while communities affected by Canadian mining projects in four Mexican states staged a sit-in to mark the first Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining.

The choice to stage a sit-in against open-pit mining in front of the Canadian Embassy was not arbitrary – the Mexican government reports that over 70% of its mining concessions are owned by Canadian corporations.  Many of these corporations have been met with widespread resistance, culminating in blockades, demonstrations and legal cases.

Among the most infamous cases of opposition to a Canadian mining project is New Gold Inc’s Cerro de San Pedro open-pit gold and silver mine.  In commercial operation since 2007, the mine has been the subject of fierce resistance since a Canadian corporation purchased its concession 13 years ago.

Various legal cases filed by project opponents delayed the project, located in a 400-year old historic village 8 kilometers from a city of 1.5 million.  The mountains surrounding the village were granted protected status because of their importance in refueling the arid area’s aquifers.  When the corporation was issued an environmental permit, opponents took the matter to court.

“Even though a federal court determined that the project is illegal, the mine is still operating” said Federal Deputy Armando Barreiro at the embassy sit-in.  “We’re here today denouncing that the federal, state and municipal governments are allowing the flagrant violation of our environmental laws.  Corruption and impunity permits corporations to operate like this, not only in Cerro de San Pedro but all over the country”.

Mexico has become a haven for transnational mining since the early 1990s, when a series of laws were reformed to accommodate NAFTA’s entry into force.  Collective property ownership regimes created at the time of the Mexican Revolution were dismantled and provisions to ensure public ownership of resources were stripped away, facilitating foreign investment.  By 2006, close to 5000 Canadian corporations were either mining in Mexico or negotiating their first contracts.

“Mexico, like other Latin American countries, is undergoing a new conquest,” affirms Sergio Serrano of environmental group Pro San Luis Ecologico.  “Today they’re coming into our territories like they did hundreds of years ago, looking for gold and silver.  And these riches will fill the pockets of Canadians”.

Mariano Abarca Roblero, from the village of Chicomoseco in Chiapas, traveled to Mexico City  “to tell the Canadian Ambassador that we’re not willing to let them keep taking resources and destroying our environment”.  For over two months, villagers have been blocking road access to Canadian corporation Blackfire’s mine.

Roblero maintains that the corporation has failed to fulfill obligations in the contract it signed with the community.  “For years, they’ve promised us a million things and have given us nothing,” he states.

While consequences for corporations facing resistance can result in profit losses, legal complications and lower shares, the consequences for communities opposing Canadian mines include repression, police brutality, and even death.

Members of the “Asamblea Popular del Pueblo de Oaxaca” attended the sit-in at the Canadian embassy to draw attention to the struggle of communities against a slew of Canadian mines in the resource-rich state.

Agustín Ríos Cruz participated in a community blockade of Canadian corporation Fortuna Silver’s mine in the Valley of Ocotlán in March 2009.  Two months later, 2500 heavily-armed police invaded the blockade, brutally beating several community members while looking for Cruz.

Although Cruz was badly injured, he was not recognized by state agents.  He has been in hiding ever since, with 8 warrants for his arrest.  One member of Cruz’s group was not so lucky – Sergio Martínez Vásquez was found dead on June 7^th, 2009.

“Life can’t be negotiated,” says Cruz, referring to the communities’ refusal to accept corporate bribes in exchange for accepting mines.  “They’re devastating our lands – there’s nothing to negotiate”.

Canadian officials also appeared to feel no need for negotiation.  Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski sent a staff member from the public relations department to receive the statement issued by sit-in participants condemning the embassy’s support for open-pit mines.  No official response has yet been issued.

Article: http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/1769

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108913&id=593341636&l=2136e446f6

JULY 21-22

ANTI-MINING GROUP TO STAGE 36 HOUR SIT-IN AT CANADIAN EMBASSY IN MEXICO CITY

Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO) marks Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining in opposition to New Gold Inc.’s Cerro de San Pedro mine in Mexico

Anti-mining activists are marking the first ever Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit mining with a 36-hour sit-in outside the Canadian Embassy building in Mexico City.  The action is being planned by the Frente Amplio Opositor (FAO), a coalition opposed to Canadian corporation New Gold’s Cerro de San Pedro open-pit gold and silver mine in Central Mexico. New Gold Inc. is based in British Columbia.

“The sit-in is a nonviolent protest to demand that the Canadian government intervene in the case of New Gold’s Cerro de San Pedro mine”, said FAO member Juan Carlos Ruiz Guadalajara. “The mine is still operating despite having lost its environmental permit in a recent court ruling. We are reminding the embassy that we will continue to raise our voices against corruption, human rights abuses and environmental destruction”.

Mexican Secretary of the Economy figures reveal that more than 70% of all mining exploration, development and production projects in Mexico are owned by Canadian corporations. Canadian mining companies have benefited from legal reforms that the Mexican government adopted in order to accommodate NAFTA
and draw foreign investment.

Open-pit mines, such as Cerro de San Pedro, have generated controversy due to their devastating environmental and social impacts.

“The Cerro de San Pedro mine has already left a legacy of irreversible ecological destruction”, stated FAO member Martha Rivera. “Aside from destroying a mountain, polluting the air and contaminating the water, the mine has created divisions in a tight-knit community and generated opposition in the entire region”.

The sit-in at the site of the Canadian embassy will begin at 8 am on July 21st and end at 8 pm on July 22nd. Parallel events are planned in Toronto, Montreal, and other cities worldwide.

(version française à suivre)

Protest and Street Theater!
For the Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining

Wednesday, July 22nd at 4:00pm
1000 Sherbrooke Street West (Corner with Mansfield)
In front of the Montreal offices of the Toronto Stock Exchange

Around the world, communities are being devastated by a rapidly spreading social disease: mining capital. Symptoms for communities that contract a bad case of mining include poisoned water, divided communities, open sores on the skin, open-pit mines in the earth, and the destruction of ecosystems and ways of life. The wost cases can result in premature death by rare cancers or hired guns.

Activists who are scrambling to control the spread of these destructive mines have discovered that the origin of the pandemic is the profit-hungry corporate and financial swine who have thrived in one of the most neglectfully unregulated speculative equity markets in the world: the Toronto Stock Exchange, also known as the TSX.

The TSX unabashedly promotes itself as a “global leader in providing access to capital for growth-oriented mining companies,” yet it has absolutely no mechanisms for ensuring that it does not provide access to capital for companies that are committing violent and illegal acts against communities and the environment. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that such an unaccountable strain of deadly mining companies has emerged.

In an attempt to rally a worldwide response to this growing threat, communities opposed to Canadian mining in Mexico have called for a Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining on July 22nd. As supporters of these communities in Montreal, we have decided to confront the problem at its source by declaring an emergency quarantine of the TSX offices at 1000 Sherbrooke Street West on July 22nd at 4:00pm. Other actions to confront the problem will also be happening at the TSX headquarters in Toronto, the Canadian embassy in Mexico City, and elsewhere around the world.

In Montreal we hope that the quarantine will only be a temporary measure until more permanent steps can be taken by the TSX to ensure that it is no longer a locus for the spread of capital to destructive mining companies:
1) We demand that the TSX express its support for the government regulation of Canadian mining abroad as outlined in proposed parliamentary bill C-300.
2) We demand that the TSX use bill C-300 as an example for implementing its own process of screening mining companies listed on the exchange based on social and environmental criteria.

These would be important first steps towards preventing the future outbreaks of unaccountability that will undoubtedly plague the global mining industry if urgent regulatory precautions are not taken.

FAO-Montreal
faomontreal.wordpress.com

====

QUARANTAINE URGENTE DES BUREAUX DE LA BOURSE DE TORONTO!
Aidez nous à arrêter cette nouvelle grippe porcine!

Manifestation et théâtre de rue!
Pour la journée mondiale d’action contre les mines à ciel-ouvert
Mercredi, le 22 juillet à 16h
1000 rue Sherbrooke Ouest (coin Mansfield)
Devant les bureaux de la Bourse de Toronto à Montréal

A travers le monde, de plus en plus de communautés sont atteintes par une épouvantable maladie sociale : le capital minier. Les symptômes typiques sont la contamination des sources d’eau, le conflit social, des plaies ouvertes cutanées qui ressemblent à des petits cratères, les plaies ouvertes dans le paysage qui sont des vrais cratères, et la destruction des écosystèmes et des modes de vie. Les pires cas peuvent causer la mort par suite de rares cancers ou d’escadrons de la mort.

Les militants qui œuvrent à enrayer cette épidémie qui se nourrit de la dérégulation et de la spéculation financière ont réussi à identifier son épicentre : la Bourse de Toronto (TSX).

La TSX annonce fièrement qu’elle est le « chef de file du secteur minier » et que ses règles internes permettent l’accès facile au capital. En effet, la TSX ne prend aucune précaution pour s’assurer que les entreprises qui y sont cotisées ne commettent pas de graves délits parfois violents contre les communautés et l’environnement. Étant donné de telles conditions, il n’est pas surprenant qu’une souche si virulente de l’industrie minière fasse tant de ravages à travers le monde.

Afin de confronter cette véritable pandémie à envergure mondiale, on a besoin d’un effort concerté international. Les communautés Mexicaines qui résistent les entreprises minières canadiennes ont lancé un appel à une Journée mondiale d’action contre les mines à ciel ouvert le 22 juillet. A Montréal, on espère freiner l’avancée de l’épidémie en mettant la TSX, dont le bureau de Montréal est situé au 1000 rue Sherbrooke O, en quarantaine. D’autres mesures pour contrer l’épidémie seront prises devant les bureaux principaux de la TSX à Toronto ainsi que devant les ambassades du Canada à travers le monde.

On espère que cette quarantaine ne durera pas très longtemps. Afin de désinvestir leurs bureaux, nous exigeons
1) que la TSX déclare publiquement son appui pour la régulation des entreprises minières canadiennes à l’étranger, tel que proposé par le projet de loi fédéral C-300, déposé cette année ;
2) que la TSX mette en application son propre mécanisme d’évaluation et de filtrage des entreprises qui y sont cotisées, en se basant sur des standards environnementaux, sociaux et économiques.

Ceux-ci seraient les premiers pas à prendre pour éviter de nouvelles contagions.

FAO-Montreal
faomontreal.wordpress.com

On Saturday, March 8th at 8pm FAO-Montreal will be holding a cultural event at Volver Cafe Culturel (5604 du Parc) in parallel with the Cerro de San Pedro cultural festival in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The event will feature an exposition of posters by an art collective from San Luis that is in opposition to the mine, along with music and a screening of the film “La Mutilacion de San Pedro según San Xavier” by Olivia Portilla. March 8th is also significant because it is the date of the founding of the town of Cerro de San Pedro, and International Women’s Day. Click here for more information on women’s struggles against destructive mining practices.

As part of KAIROS’ ongoing campaign calling for legislation of Canadian corporate activity abroad, KAIROS has produced its first ever fictional drama podcast. The play uses the case of KAIROS partner The Broad Opposition Front in Cerro de San Pedro, Mexico to highlight the issues facing villagers and concerned citizens who do not want mining operations in their communities.

 To hear “Giving Canadians a Bad Name” click here: http://kairoscanada.org/e/resources/multimedia/GivingCanadiansABadName.mp3

To read more about Cerro de San Pedro, see their submission to the Roundtable Process http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/corporate/mining/cerrodeSanPedro.asp 

Feel free to spread this podcast play far and wide, and encourage your local radio stations to air the program. To date, although the Roundtables on Corporate Accountability published their consensus recommendations in March 2007, the government has yet to respond. The urgent path to greater accountability and legislation remains in limbo and the government remains silent.

The documentary “La Mutilacion de San Pedro según San Xavier” by Olivia Portillo is now available on YouTube in three parts, with English subtitles:

First Part
Second Part
Third Part