For nearly a decade, the Indigenous Xinka people, living
near the Escobal silver mine in Guatemala, have peacefully opposed
the mine -- protecting their lands and waters from
destruction. For their resistance, Xinka community members
have been killed and jailed.
The silver lining was that they stopped one of the most
contentious silver mines in Latin America mid operation.
Meanwhile, the same mining company that is operating in
Guatemala, Pan American Silver, is also trying to build a mine in
Argentina. It is claiming that the proposed site is on ‘no
man’s land’, completely dismissing the presence of Mapuche Tehuelche
Indigenous people that live on the land, and steamrolling a
massive 20 year resistance against mining.
Pan American Silver’s biggest meeting of the year takes
place in early May and we want to deliver a massive
petition with tens of thousands of SumOfUs members' signatures to
show solidarity with local Guatemalan and Argentine affected
communities.
Will
you sign the petition calling on Pan American Silver to listen to
the local community for its annual meeting?
The Xinka people have demanded the right to free, prior and
informed consent and self determination over mining in their
territory for over a decade.
Their demand for respect for Xinka people's rights has
been fierce but peaceful and it has come at a cost: there has been a
loss of lives and dozens have been jailed arbitrarily.
Yet they came together in a show of strength and won an important
victory -- in 2017, the Xinka initiated two resistance camps to stop
all traffic to the mine, which continue today. Shortly after,
Guatemalan courts recognized that the Guatemalan government
discriminated against the Xinka and failed to consult them, and the
mine was suspended.
Sign
the petition calling on Pan American Silver and the Governments of
Argentina and Guatemala to respect the rights of indigenous
communities.
We know if we come together, we can stop these destructive mining
operations in Latin America. A few months ago, the governor
of Argentina’s Chubut province was forced to repeal a law allowing
mining that would have directly benefited Pan American Silver after
six consecutive days of massive protests and
roadblocks.
And if we act now, we can demand Pan American Silver and the
Guatemalan government respect the consent of the Xinka
people.
