BACK TO TOP

Take Action: Colombian communities blockade coal-mining giant, Glencore

Latin America's biggest coal mine, Cerrejón, is being blocked by protesting members of communities which have been displaced and polluted by coal mining.

The mining multinational Glencore, has ​not complied with their commitments including to provide clean water for displaced indigenous and afro-descendant communities.

In La Guajira, a remote region in northern Colombia, community defenders are endangering their lives by stepping into a non-violent confrontation with the mining company; activists here are routinely targetted with violence. We must show that the world is watching and that we support the coal-affected communities' demands.

Three actions you can take in solidarity with the communities:

1. Add your voice​ to demand Glencore respects protestors and meets their demands

2. Attend the blockade via facebook​ as a show of international solidarity, organised by Colombia Solidarity Campaign​

3. Tweet @Glencore​ so they hear the communities demands:

Glencore must:

- Meet with the communities represented at the Cerrejón blockade and return to dialogue with them

- Comply with the government order to provide safe drinking water for communities displaced by Cerrejon and to stop polluting the lands of nearby communities

- Ensure the safety of the community defenders

The defenders will not back down until they get an audience with Glencore. They are asking for international solidarity to get the company's attention and to stay safe.

The communities south of Cerrejó​n have been impeding the progress of Latin America's biggest coal mine for over 30 years through the courts and local government. Now they are taking non-violent action to stand their ground.

We all owe them our suppoort for their decades long struggle to keep fossil fuels in the ground while safeguarding their right to territorial lands from European colonisation.

Share now:

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Adrian
Adrian
2 years ago

European countries should obey the rules they agreed at the recent summit chaired by Boris Johnson. Incidentally, has Boris or any of his mates got shares or any interest in any of these companies’ goings on? Why are we mining this stuff in any case? It’s only for capitalist gain. We don’t need it and certainly shouldn’t affect people’s livelihoods without mitigation and / or compensation for their losses.

Catherine Thomas
Catherine Thomas
2 years ago

Respect to these and all indigenous people. They have all suffered so much, for so long and continue to be treated with contempt by many.
They have all been forced to move off their lands, by immigrants, and should not have to endure this vile treatment any longer.
Please treat these people with respect and remember that God made the world, it doesn’t belong to us. We must share our resources and talk to live peacefully alongside each other. Let these people be. Leave the water alone, it is evil to contaminate what is rightfully theirs. It is not your right to take matters into your own hands. With the way that the world is changing, natural disasters taking over, can change or end our lives in one second. So end this prejudice and hatred. Teach future generations to share and show more respect. Give these people a clean water supply. Stop creating chaos and start to work with them.

Never miss an update! Sign up to our Newsletter

OTHER STORIES

Coal in industry

The direct use of coal as a feedstock (not just energy) is particularly significant in China, where coal is used extensively in coal to gasification plants to produce chemicals such as methanol, ammonia, and…

The natural world of Glan Lash

This nature was photographed around 50 metres from the edge of the Glan Lash opencast coal mine in Ammanford, South Wales. It shows the thriving ecosystems surrounding the Glan Lash opencast coal mine which has remained dormant since 2019…

Committee takes forward CAN’s key recommendations

In February, CAN gave oral testimony to the Climate Change, Energy, and Infrastructure Committee (CCEIC) on the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill…

Westminster: our evidence on Wales’ coal legacy

Coal Action Network was invited to attend Westminster where we gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee in their inquiry about the environmental and economic legacy of Wales’ industrial past, alongside Friends of the Earth Cymru. This inquiry was opened in…

Lethal landscape: cuts to Ffos-y-fran mine restoration puts community at risk

16 years of opencast coal mining in Ffos-y-fran has generated colossal overburden mounds, also known as slag heaps or coal tips. There are three coal tips, with the third being the largest, and cumulatively accounting for 37 million cubic metres of colliery spoil, rocks, and soil…

We’re back in the Senedd giving oral evidence

We were invited for the second time to give oral evidence to the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee of the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) on 05th February 2025. We shared the panel with Haf, Director of FOE Cymru, to provide our opinion on the weaknesses, strengths…

Demand nature be restored to Ffos-y-fran opencast site

Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd mined for over a year illegally after planning permission for the Ffos-y-fran opencast coal mine ended in September 2022. During that year, it made record-breaking profits due to sanctions on Russia and other factors driving up the price of coal. But rather than using some of the profits from that ill-gotten coal…

We investigate mining company’s ‘missing’ millions

MSW claims “It was established that there are insufficient funds available to achieve the 2015 restoration strategy and therefore an alternative scheme is required.” (EIA Scoping Report, July 2024)… To our knowledge, there has been no evidence submitted by MSW that it cannot fund the full restoration it is contracted to undertake…

UK Government: is the left hand speaking to the right hand?

The UK Government launched a consultation on a limited review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for 8 weeks from 30 July to 24 September 2024. The NPPF is an influential document that shapes planning decisions and priorities across England. It is periodically updated by the Government, following a public consultation…

CONNECT WITH US

Share now:

2
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x