Full transcript
1:51B Since the conquest of America , the
3:23mineral resources of the subsoil have
3:26contributed to forming the treasuries
3:28of the European courts and metropolises
3:31. By 1650 , Spain had taken more than
3:394,000 tons of gold from the continent .
3:4970 million indigenous people had died
3:52as a result of invasion , plagues , and
3:55slave labor . What they could not
4:04achieve with bloodshed , they achieved
4:06with bribes . First came gold and silver
4:22, then rubber , wood , cereals , meat , and
4:26oil . The wealth of the New World served
4:33to divide nations and impoverish their
4:37peoples . Gold , the much-vaunted gold .
4:53Gentlemen of business , this is serious
4:56business . This is real . It is true . We
5:00can feel it , touch it . We are
5:05exploiting our mineral wealth ,
5:10especially in the field of gold . There
5:15is new legislation in the Argentine
5:18Republic , there is a new proposal , a
5:20new model .
5:23But in truth , the new proposal has been
5:26promoted by the World Bank since the
5:29early 90s , financing the reform of
5:31mining legislation in 70 countries to
5:34respond to the growing demand of
5:37international corporations . Open-pit
5:44mega-mining using toxic substances was
5:48making its debut in Argentina . We
5:59interviewed the nation's mining
6:01secretary , health engineer Jorge
6:03Mayoral . In terms of project
6:10development , it is worth noting that
6:13since the end of the fixed exchange
6:16rate , we have quadrupled the number of
6:19projects throughout the country . Yes .
6:23Right now , we are immersed in a
6:29fantastic prospecting and exploration
6:31boom that has made us part of the club
6:33of privileged countries in the world .
6:36We say that Argentina is in the top 10
6:38in terms of development of risk-taking
6:41businesses and investments in the world
6:44at this time .
6:45What does this leave for the province
6:47and the nation ? They generate direct
6:49jobs , and generate and develop local
6:52suppliers , yes , which did not exist
6:54until the activity began . They generate
6:57royalty payments .
6:58How much is that royalty ?
6:593 % of the value of the mineral at the
7:02mine entrance .
7:04What are the main mining ventures ? The
7:07most important ones today
7:09in terms of metalliferous businesses
7:12are the Manantial Espejo and San José
7:15Huevos Verde projects , both in the
7:17province of Santa Cruz . They are new .
7:21There is a gold and silver project in
7:23the province of Catamarca called La
7:25Lumbrera . We have the Veladero project ,
7:28which is located here in the middle of
7:30the Sanina Mountains , 4 meters above
7:32sea level . It is very important because
7:35it will mean that Argentina will enter
7:37the international context among the
7:39countries that produce copper . Since
7:42the mining reform , hundreds of
7:45concessions have been granted to
7:47multinationals and exports have
7:49multiplied . The country has the sixth
7:54largest mineral reserves on the planet .
7:58The deposits discovered by the State
8:01are valued at more than 200,000 million
8:04dollars . Discover more about the way in
8:08which these companies come to plunder
8:11what is left on the planet . Argentina
8:14was not a mining country . There were
8:16minerals , but they were not profitable .
8:18Now they are profitable . And why are
8:20they profitable ? They are profitable
8:23because they invented a perverse
8:25extraction method : blowing up mountains
8:28, dynamiting entire hills and then
8:31pulverizing that rock to the size of ...
8:34Environmentalists like Rodríguez Pardo
8:37questioned the mining boom touted by
8:39the government and the benefits that
8:42the new mining brought to the country .
8:49I began to investigate the case of one
8:51of the largest gold and copper deposits
8:56under La Lumbrera .
9:01The film Acecho a la ilusión brought
9:04me the first images . Of an undertaking
9:09that over the course of its 20 - year
9:12useful life would yield approximately
9:1435 billion dollars in profit . We began
9:47this trip in Catamarca with the
9:50intention of visiting the Bajo de la
9:52Lumbrera mine . Patricio Juanek was the
10:00author of the documentary Acecho la
10:02ilusión which revealed for the first
10:05time the social consequences of the
10:07exploitation of the deposit . I had
10:15returned to Catamarca to make
10:16documentaries . That's why I was
10:19traveling around the province and I had
10:23heard that mining was going to change
10:26the lives of the people of Catamarca .
10:31What hurt me about the province was the
10:34poverty , the poverty , the neglect . On
10:40the other hand , I picked up the
10:42newspaper and read that $ 1.5 billion
10:44dollars were exported every year . So ,
10:49like many people in Catamarca , I
10:51thought that something was wrong , but
10:53maybe it was just me who didn't
10:54understand . No one really knew what was
11:02going on . I met a family that lived
11:08very close to the mine below La
11:10Lumbrera . They saw their animals die
11:15from the contamination , how the
11:18bulldozers ran over their farms , and
11:22they ended up leaving . Meeting these
11:31people was a shock to me , because the
11:34truth is that I imagined that this
11:37could be a lie , but I didn't understand
11:41the scale of it . Well , different
11:47environmental organizations were asking
11:50for it and passing it on from town to
11:52town , school to school . Yes , it really
11:56generated debate . Looking for access to
12:10La Lumbrera in the middle of the Arenal
12:12countryside , we found their airport .
12:17Hello .
12:21Where is the entrance ? The main
12:27entrance is about 40 km from here . I
12:33don't
12:33know what you guys want to do . We
12:35don't want to see an
12:38interview or expose the company like
12:39other journalists do . I don't know what
12:42their intentions are ,
12:44whatever , allowing us to enter , do an
12:46interview , or something like that , but
12:50I know that they are
12:54from a specific channel ,
12:56right ? A production company .
12:57Minera Lumbrera behaves like a state
13:00within the province . They have fenced
13:05off the perimeter of the mine , denying
13:08visitor permits , and their security
13:10patrols prevent anyone from getting
13:12close .
13:14No , up there is Mir Lumbrera and it's
13:16private . They have to go all the way
13:18around . Go on , Belén , and puta 40 ,
13:21because around here
13:25they act with such impunity that they
13:28block public roads and force the
13:31inhabitants to travel dozens of
13:33kilometers to reach their destination .
13:42In the end , we had to be content with
13:45seeing the deposit from the air . Well ,
13:55this is going to be an open-pit mine .
13:57After 20 years , it will have a diameter
14:00of about 2 km and a depth of about 500
14:03m . This mine will have the largest
14:07primary crusher in the world , almost as
14:09high as the obelisk . 100 % of the
14:13production , which is 700,000 tons per
14:16year , 104 tons per hour , will be
14:18exported from its own port in the town
14:21of Puerto Gereal San Martín north of
14:24Rosario . In other words , all 700,000
14:28tons of copper and gold concentrate are
14:31exported to foreign markets : Brazil ,
14:34the United States , Europe , and Oceania .
14:42Bajo de la Lumbrera is the ninth
14:44largest copper mine in the world , which
14:46began operating in 1997. Its rights
14:51belong to the University of Tucumán
14:53and the government of Catamarca , which
14:55granted it a concession to Swiss and
14:58Canadian capital . It produces 180,000
15:04tons of copper and 600,000 ounces of
15:07gold per year . What are the benefits ?
15:24Tax advantages . They deduct everything
15:27they invest when they pay income tax .
15:31They have zero cost for nationalizing
15:33all inputs . Smuggling has been
15:36legalized , while if we want to import
15:38anything into the country , we have to
15:40pay a huge amount of taxes . They don't .
15:42But how much do they pay ? They
15:44pay nothing , zero . Absolutely zero . VAT
15:48has an advance refund and they have a
15:53refund on exports . In short , it has a
15:55series of benefits that are not
15:57available anywhere else in the world .
15:59And how much profit does the country
16:01get ?
16:01Nothing , absolutely nothing goes to
16:03Catamarca . Everyone takes it . If you
16:06can give us a figure of 100 % that they
16:08take , they leave us 1 % . But how much
16:13tax do they pay on their profits ?
16:14Royalties . How is that ?
16:17These companies only leave 3 % in
16:19royalties . From that you have to
16:23subtract the costs of extraction ,
16:25exploitation , transportation , freight ,
16:28in short , a series of costs that make
16:31it not 3 % , but a miserable 1 % . In other
16:37words , they leave us absolutely nothing
16:39. They have fiscal stability for 30
16:46years , they have the benefit of a
16:48refund on exports . What does that mean ?
16:53They leave us 1 % , but the national
16:55government gives them back 2.5 % . In
16:58other words , we are paying them to take
17:00our future .
17:01But who controls what they take ? No one
17:04can control it because the way the
17:06company informs the province is through
17:09an affidavit , an affidavit that is made
17:12outside the country , that is , at the
17:14port of destination . When the ship
17:17arrives with its cargo and they unload ,
17:19the analysis is done there and there is
17:21no one from customs to control the
17:22export . No , it is not controlled
17:25because it is not really planned . All
17:27the modifications that were made are to
17:30favor smuggling , let's put it that way .
17:35Minera Lumbrera has an open criminal
17:38case for tax evasion and smuggling . It
17:43only pays royalties for gold , silver
17:45and copper , but it exports more than 60
17:48metals for which it pays nothing . Some
17:52are more valuable than gold , such as
17:55molidene , gatmio , reno , used in
17:58cutting-edge industries and
18:00superconductors . I am really devastated
18:09, let's say , very sad because I see how
18:11our wealth is being taken by a very
18:13small group of miserable Argentines who
18:16have promoted this plunder .
18:19Yes . Well , but they say they are making
18:21a great investment .
18:23That is a big lie . The money produced
18:27by the sale of our minerals will never
18:29be returned because there are two
18:32presidential decrees from 2003 and 2004
18:34that speak about the free availability
18:37of resources produced by sales abroad .
18:41So none of the 16 or 15 million that
18:44Minera Lumbrera claims to sell abroad
18:47will be returned . Whose decrees are
18:53these ?
18:54President Kimner's . We are going to be
19:06like the Potosi mines in Bolivia , where
19:08the Spanish took everything in 400
19:10years , but with today's technology they
19:13cleaned us to the bone in 40 years .
19:43Mining , along with chemicals and
19:46hydrocarbons , are the most polluting
19:48industries on the planet . Over the
19:55centuries and with exploitation , the
19:58mineral deposits that followed the
20:00galleries or the tunnels have
20:04disappeared . Today the metals are
20:12scattered throughout the mountain and
20:15are extracted by blasting it . In
20:32Lumbrera , 300 tons of rock are mined
20:35daily . They are ground in a giant
20:39crusher that consumes as much energy
20:41daily as the city of Catamarca . The
20:45metals are separated with cyanide and
20:48toxic substances in a 30 - hectare
20:51artificial lake called the tailings dam
20:54, where 4 million liters of water are
20:57dumped per hour , 88 million each day .
21:02This dam was located in an area with
21:04high seepage rates because it is full
21:06of fissures and geological faults .
21:09These seepages will communicate
21:11directly with the Bisbiz River and
21:13ultimately , over time , this will end up
21:16in the Andalgalá field very close to a
21:18town of 20,000 inhabitants . The
21:24concentrate is coming out through a
21:27pipe , a duct that occasionally causes
21:29serious environmental problems because
21:32it breaks , contaminating rivers and
21:35waterways . The mineral duct through
21:43which the concentrate is pumped to the
21:45city of Tucumán is located in this
21:48riverbed to then be loaded onto trains
21:51that go to the port of San Lorenzo and
21:54from there to ports in the Far East and
21:57Asian countries . This pipe has already
22:03broken twice , directly affecting the
22:06water that supplies the population of
22:08Villavil . I was an environmental
22:14quality inspector . We conducted a study
22:17and found that there is not only copper
22:20, but also other elements such as
22:22aluminum and sulfur that are harmful to
22:25human health . As a result of that study
22:29, we were removed from our duties and
22:32were never able to work on this issue
22:34again . The water we are seeing comes
22:42from under the manhole , specifically
22:45from the tailings pond . For us , this
22:48water is contaminated , but not for the
22:50mine . I wonder why they would put in a
22:54plastic pipe to supply the population .
22:59Clear evidence that something is going
23:01on . Less than a week ago , there was
23:17another spill and these teams are
23:19removing all the concentrated material
23:22that has spilled into the chaos of the
23:25river and are currently transporting it
23:27in these mining trucks that are
23:30approaching the plant . But the most
23:46serious contamination is not caused by
23:49cracks and spills , but rather the
23:51so-called acid rain , which is produced
23:54by the mountain when it is split and
23:56exposed to the oxidizing action of air
23:59and water . Acid rain can last hundreds
24:04of years , contaminating the river
24:06basins that originate there . Mining
24:11companies abandon the deposits without
24:14proper treatment and condemn the
24:16inhabitants to live with the disaster .
24:22Tens of millions of dollars need to be
24:24invested to avoid this . Our journey
24:35continues to the provinces of San Juan ,
24:38where we meet mining engineer Hugo
24:40González .
24:45I belong to the self-organized saninos ,
24:47not to the mine . Within this
24:52organization , my role is to conduct the
24:55study of environmental impact reports .
25:00Now , the problem is why I do it for
25:02free . It is because one day I
25:04understood that the community , my
25:06community , had provided me with a lot
25:08of technical information and that I had
25:10a debt to my community and this is what
25:13I am doing , paying it off . These are
25:24mining facilities from the 1950s . This
25:28is what mining leaves behind as a
25:31reminder that there was economic
25:33activity here . Okay . And here we find
25:40the plant waste , what we call plant
25:43tailings . In the decades since , the 60s
25:46, 70s and 80s , they have been subject
25:49to leaching processes with sodium
25:51cyanide , right ? The cyanide and water
25:55leach , liquefy the mineral and there it
25:57is extracted , leaving the rest of the
25:59rock soaked in cyanide and here we can
26:01see it . This is what happened . These
26:06are all the cyanide tailings . The real
26:09problem arises when these mines close .
26:12We can see the facilities , the
26:14abandonment . Mining does not do any
26:16type of remediation because these
26:18processes are expensive . We see the
26:23consequences on the ecosystem . You can
26:26see that there is no life inside the
26:29heaps that have been marked . This
26:39process is repeated with technologies
26:42that claim to be suitable for not
26:45polluting in the Veladero , Pascualama ,
26:48Casposo projects , etc. , etc. Acid rain
26:55occurs as a result of the fact that the
26:57deposits that are exploited have a lot
27:00of sulfur and then when that sulfur
27:05precipitates with water it forms what
27:07we all know as sulfuric acid . Where
27:11does this occur ? In these types of
27:15waste dumps or in the waste left by the
27:17ore ? And this is called acid mine
27:21drainage . They are very corrosive . Well
27:24, it is sulfuric acid , the acid in
27:26batteries .
27:41In these years , what has hurt you the
27:43most ? What has made you the saddest ?
27:46The indifference of the community . When
27:50the community does not want to listen
27:52to these cries of telling them , "
27:54Gentlemen , the problem is water . The
27:59water tank in your house is not that
28:01500 liter one on the roof . The water
28:03tank in your house is those white
28:05mountain ranges . " The water problem is
28:16serious . The west of Catamarca is a
28:19semi-desert area and Lumbrera and
28:21subsequent projects are going to
28:24extract from a large basin called Campo
28:26del Arenal . Right now , 80 million
28:29liters of pure water are being
28:32extracted per day . With the Agua Rica
28:36project , it will be a similar amount .
28:44Agua Rica is the new project that is
28:46going to be located nearby and that
28:48will also take water from Campo del
28:50Arenal . We have to be very careful
28:55because they are very close to each
28:57other and that they are really going to
28:58generate a process of irreversible
29:00devastation in the region . Where are we
29:23?
29:25We are in the Laaren Arenal Sugar Mill ,
29:27Santa María department , Catamarca
29:29province . Here we can see provincial
29:34school 64 where our children and
29:37grandchildren attended . Today it is The
29:42school is closed due to lack of
29:44students , because people have already
29:46left this town , because large-scale
29:48mining is killing us all . I am Diaguita
29:54Calchaquí . Here we have our ancestors ,
29:57we have our culture , we have our sacred
29:59sites where thousands and thousands of
30:02generations have remained . The farm is
30:06dying , the pumas are coming , and they
30:08eat the little that is left . So , what
30:10is happening ? Our youth who no longer
30:13have work in this area have to go
30:15somewhere else . They go somewhere else
30:18to work because of the lack of work
30:20here . This large-scale mining industry
30:23does not accept them to work because it
30:24says they have no profession . Of course
30:27, we are not miners by profession , we
30:29are farmers , we live from that , we live
30:31from a central culture . For 12 years ,
30:39the Lumbrera has produced a total
30:42imbalance in our ecological system . It
30:45has left us without moisture for the
30:47rains . The plants are drying up , the
30:49animals have no grass to eat . The
30:53entire ecological system of the Arenal
30:54countryside and the Calchaquí Valley
30:56has been altered . And as if this were
30:59not enough , Agua Rica intends to
31:01install its processing plant , the waste
31:03dumps and the tailings dam on the same
31:05aquifer . In quote marks , the lumbrera
31:08is lucky to be in a valley behind those
31:10hills .
31:11But what does this tailings dam mean
31:12here ? The tailings dam means all the
31:15metals that they don't use and that are
31:16highly polluting , spreading them over
31:18the countryside , over that countryside ,
31:20the sand , over the aquifer . We say that
31:24we are the best bad example of open-pit
31:26mining . Agriculture brought 30 million
31:36pesos to our valley per year . There
31:40were more than 2,000 farmers , today
31:42there are only 700 left and the rest
31:44live off a boss , head of household and
31:46a small bag . They depend entirely on
31:49what the government gives them . In the
32:08meantime , life goes on in these small
32:11places , these small towns and you can
32:14still see marginalization , poverty ,
32:17lack of work , malnutrition , infant
32:20mortality . One out of every two
32:26children goes hungry . 62 % of the
32:32inhabitants of Catamarca are poor . 27 %
32:38of the population is unemployed . People
32:42were deceived into thinking there would
32:44be a lot of work . But that’s not true
32:46. In Catamarca , where this mining
32:49project is located , where it is said
32:51that around 16 people work , there are
32:53no more than 300 people from Catamarca ;
32:56they work and do very small cleaning
32:58jobs , they are paid minimum wages , very
33:00few earn a good salary . So people are
33:04realizing this deception day by day . So
33:08, in these circumstances , there is a
33:11population that is absolutely gagged ,
33:16that cannot freely express itself and
33:19that has to count on the goodwill of a
33:23company or some political leader to eat
33:26. My salary is 150 , it is not enough
33:49for the five children I have at home . I
33:55have to knit , weave and wash all the
33:58things in the house . That is more than
34:09enough for me and José Luis travels 6
34:19hours from the city and spends the week
34:22with the students for a basic salary .
34:28Uh , there are 65 students studying here
34:31. Uh , well , this is the teacher Mariela
34:34, she is in charge of These are school
34:36moments because our principal is
34:37teaching a course .
34:40The mine used as much energy as the
34:42city of Catamarca , but in the towns
34:46near the mine there was no electricity
34:49or hospitals . On the way we met up with
35:33teacher Pinchu again , who was walking
35:36back to his school in the town of Bifis
35:38, which borders the mine . But in my
35:48early years I walked along the paths we
35:50travel .
35:52On foot . Yes , I walked 45 km . I would
35:58leave around 7 in the morning and
36:00arrive in Negalá at 6 or 7 in the
36:02evening . I would just look for water in
36:06the town of Amanao to put some water in
36:09my shoes to prevent blisters .
36:11But how did I get there ?
36:13I would arrive dead and carry enough
36:18supplies to last me about 3 months at
36:20my school . I would work 3 months and
36:24take 15 days off , 3 months , 15 days .
36:27That's what I did for 15 years . At that
36:31time I had no electricity at all , no
36:34basic services from Andacalán . We were
36:38completely forgotten . In 1989 , when I
36:45came to work here , I moved to work with
36:47an 8 - month-old son and my wife , who
36:50were recently married and were looking
36:53for financial well-being . I was very
36:57poor and if I had a simple diarrhea , I
37:01would lose him in order to make him
37:03drink . That's what I gambled on and ,
37:09well , my wife didn't understand my
37:13madness . I lost my marriage , but I
37:21gained other things . I gained Viv's
37:27children , who are like children to me .
37:53I have four students solely because the
37:56locals were uprooted . Do they give you
38:04any support , Pincho ?
38:07Yes , we receive assistance from a P
38:09program every two or three months . Well
38:14, for this school , due to the
38:15enrollment we have , four contribute
38:17around 180 pesos . With that , we have to
38:19stock up to feed the children for a
38:21month and a half . How much ? A month and
38:23a half . 200 pesos . Here we have a first
38:24aid kit . We have a first aid kit here
38:26to feed the children for a month and a
38:27half .
38:27How much ?
38:28A month and a half . 200 pesos . Here we
38:33have a first aid kit . that they donated
38:37to us because we don't have health
38:39posts , we don't have anything , so they
38:40bring us closer to be able to fix some
38:42of the simplest things . On long summer
38:54days it's horrible because at 1 o'clock
38:57I'm not with anyone and it's 1 , 2 , 3 in
39:00the afternoon , the hours never go by
39:03and you go inside and get desperate . I
39:07find myself talking to myself , talking
39:10to the thistles , trying to do something
39:13because I don't have anything . I've
39:20taken root , I think . Imagine that
39:45there's a company that generates
39:47between 15 and 16 million dollars a
39:49year . That company generates the
39:53equivalent of three times the budget of
39:55a province , the province of Catamarca .
39:59So , it has unlimited resources to buy ,
40:03to corrupt , to co-opt , to pay for
40:06advertising and to buy the press , to
40:10help politicians , friends . And this
40:16generates a division in society .
40:20What percentage of the license plate ?
40:22They're more or less 43 % of the labor
40:26force . So , imagine the few who have
40:30jobs can't risk lose it . So they are
40:35gagged . The outgoing government of
40:52Oscar Castillo caused nearly 150 mining
40:55sites to pass into private hands
40:56without having gone through the
40:58legislature , for example . The officials
41:02set up their small businesses and
41:04that's where those sites end up . In
41:07other words , they buy that site through
41:09Chaucha and Palito and are reselling it
41:11to multinationals for millions of
41:13dollars . This large amount of money
41:19buys goodwill , media outlets ,
41:21politicians , judges , universities ,
41:23absolutely everything . These sites were
41:31discovered by people from Catamarca . In
41:34other words , these companies have
41:36already arrived with a package and all
41:38they had to do was start extracting the
41:40mineral to take it away . Now a new era
41:45begins , an era of hope , an era of
41:49growth and development . I don't
41:53remember any more . I don't remember any
41:55more . I don't remember any more . I
41:57don't remember any more . When you get
42:04to the towns , to the small towns that
42:07are around the mine , you really find
42:09divided societies . Why ? And why are
42:14there many citizens who They still
42:16trust that at some point they can find
42:18work in a mining company . So , these
42:23citizens demand that their fellow
42:26citizens keep quiet , that they don't
42:28stir things up , that they don't
42:30complain . There is an ongoing press
42:35campaign that says that today things
42:38aren't going so well with mining , but
42:40tomorrow things will be better , that
42:42environmental problems don't exist ,
42:45that progress is happening
42:46systematically day by day , and that all
42:49the institutions in the province of
42:51Catamarca are getting better .
42:59Unfortunately , here it seems that we
43:01are worth so little , on top of that
43:04they label us as subversives ,
43:06fundamentalists , the same neighbors who
43:09are doing business with the company and
43:12on top of that in the schools ,
43:14something very regrettable . I am a
43:17teacher and then the teachers criticize
43:20the other teachers who are on the other
43:22side of the sidewalk , saying that they
43:25are troublemakers , that they cause
43:27trouble , that they are problematic ,
43:30that they do not oppose progress , that
43:32we have no criteria . We say no to
43:42looting , to those corrupt politicians
43:45who come to the ...
43:47A year ago , a year ago we presented a
43:49project of plebiscite so that people
43:50can express themselves whether or not
43:52they want the exploitation of rich
43:54water . Mayor José Eduardo Perea was
43:57not concerned , now we see him drinking
43:59coffee with the executives of the
44:01mining companies . Many bronchial
44:06problems , a lot of cancer , abortions ,
44:09it's the water we are drinking , the
44:11water and air we are breathing in , all
44:14that dust we are breathing in .
44:16They constantly refute us because we
44:18have no proof , but no one , no state
44:20institution , the hospital denies all
44:23the diseases that exist .
44:26We want the company to leave , they have
44:28polluted our water and what can we do
44:29and we have nothing else to do . We came
44:32from farming , we will not be able to
44:34grow anything anymore .
44:36Let them leave the country under the
44:38sun , let them leave . They have
44:40not been polluting for 10 years , the
44:42same laws that allow this looting , this
44:44pollution still follow and this
44:46president who says so much that he is
44:48the change , I don't know what else ,
44:51does nothing .
44:54Villavil means the name of a chieftain
44:55who lived there , who also came and
44:57killed him to take the gold . Villavil
45:00is standing up . He is ready to fight
45:03and the politicians will be responsible
45:05for that . These four trucks
45:26transporting these gigantic tanks ,
45:28which are used to liquefy molasses ,
45:31were stopped first in Tinogasta , then
45:34in Cafayate and now here , in this place
45:37where the assemblies are functioning ,
45:39the Calchaquí towns . What these
45:44communities achieved was not to make a
45:46wide roadblock where no trucks passed .
45:49It is a selective roadblock . It is a
45:52roadblock where the trucks of the
45:54Lumbrera do not pass . It is a town that
45:56stood up and prevents by all means this
45:58transnational corporation of
45:59dispossession and plundering from
46:01continuing to operate . Well , the
46:10resistance that is taking place today
46:13is to prevent them from continuing to
46:17use our water , which is extremely
46:20scarce in the area , approximately 50
46:22million liters per day . With 10 % of that
46:26water we will be able to make the
46:28valley green again from south to north
46:31until we reach the limit with a
46:34waterfall or rather reach Cafayate . We
47:08are in the Cachaquí Valley , in The
47:11sacred site of the Kilgas people . The K
47:23people are one of the many peoples that
47:27made up the great nation of Aguita or
47:30great Cacana nation , made up of more
47:33than 50 peoples . When the first
47:38conquerors arrived , some writers from
47:401534 , spoke of thousands and thousands
47:50who lost their lives in the fight to
47:53defend their land , their territory ,
47:55their Pachamama . They took part of our
48:04people and took them to the coasts of
48:07Porerense , today Quilmes de Buenos
48:10Aires . Another group has somehow
48:16remained hidden in the heights , in the
48:20skies , but we do not hold a grudge
48:26against what has happened in the
48:27enclave . The KMES have had historical
48:37continuity for 11,000 years to the
48:39present day . The struggle continues
48:45because governments do not recognize
48:47the territory of our people and we have
48:52problems with mining companies that
48:54make large projects in the area ,
48:57polluting them and we have no use for
48:59the gold . We want to live in peace , we
49:03want to live in a healthy environment .
49:08We are a living people who have never
49:10disappeared . As a mother and creator of
49:28life , I have every right to defend my
49:32children , my brothers and all the
49:35Argentine people so that we may be
49:38happy tomorrow . We are humble people
49:43and today , all of us from the valley
49:46have come together to fight without any
49:49diversions , because division destroys .
49:55We are all equal in this world and when
49:57we die , we all go to one place and no
49:59one is greater than anyone else . And
50:03the only thing I ask is that those
50:05under the spotlight and all those who
50:07are poisoning our country leave . We do
50:10not want war , we do not want betrayal ,
50:12we do not want anything , nothing more ,
50:15nothing more .
50:21First of all , I want to thank you for
50:2460 days of resistance . You have put
50:27your chest out , you have endured hours
50:30of cold , but we have endured . We
50:34believe that the rights of the
50:36indigenous peoples of the National
50:38Constitution , article 75 , paragraph 17 ,
50:40which states participation in the
50:42management of their natural resources ,
50:44are being violated . We believe that
50:49higher education institutions also have
50:52a responsibility because they work at
50:55the service of these multinational
50:58companies and we are paying for their
51:01studies or we have paid them and we are
51:04paying them . their salary because our
51:07taxes are deducted . I am a professor of
51:33regional geology in Argentina . I have
51:36been dean of this faculty , I have been
51:39president of CONISET . We graduate
51:44between 10 and 15 people per year and
51:47they are usually recruited by mining
51:50and oil companies and some go to
51:53environmental issues . Well , but here
51:58the environmental impact report of the
52:00Lumbrera mine prepared by this
52:01institute was approved .
52:03That report recognizes levels of
52:05contamination that are framed as what
52:08would be a crime . That is in article 55
52:11of Law 24051. This is what is not
52:16understood . Well , sometimes I do not
52:18understand many things as they are said
52:20, you know ? And there you have to go to
52:22the technical reports . I know that the
52:25previous report was prepared here by
52:27people from this institution and well ,
52:30it was prior to the exploitation of the
52:32deposit .
52:33Well , but the partner university of
52:35Lumbrera ,
52:36how much does it receive , for example ,
52:3860 million
52:39pesos ? Yes , a little more , a little
52:41more
52:42pesos , but at the same time
52:44per year ,
52:46per year , but in turn , there is also a
52:48percentage that goes to the rest of the
52:50national universities . Today , the
52:53universities , the rest of the national
52:55university , are receiving between 1 and
52:573 million pesos . I am Antonio Gustavo
53:10Gómez , prosecutor of the Federal
53:11Chamber of Tucumán and I have
53:13territorial jurisdiction in three
53:15provinces . I believe that the problem
53:19of pollution in northern Argentina has
53:21to do with the great impunity that
53:22exists in matters of federal justice .
53:25How is a law school going to benefit
53:27from the impunity that exists in
53:29judicial matters ? The environmental
53:32pact report is prepared by the Lumbrera
53:32mining company , with foreign capital ,
53:32plus the province of Catamarca , plus
53:32the University of Tucumán . Those are a
53:34single company . They present the
53:35environmental impact report . To whom ?
53:36To the province of Catamarca itself ,
53:36which is the company , and to the
53:37province of Tucumán . Since the
53:42pollution levels are much higher than
53:42those established by federal law , what
53:43does the province of Tucumán do ? A
53:45resolution that allows the company to
53:45pollute above national levels . This is
53:47an example of impunity . But those
53:48officials , however , present the
53:48environmental impact report . To whom ?
53:49To the province of Catamarca itself ,
53:50which is the company , and to the
53:51province of Tucumán . Since the
53:53pollution levels are much higher than
53:55those established by federal law , what
53:58does the province of Tucumán do ? A
54:01resolution that allows the company to
54:05pollute above national levels . This is
54:08an example of impunity .
54:09But those officials present the
54:10environmental impact report . They
54:11should not be prosecuted . I believe
54:14they are accomplices , just as the
54:16Secretary of Mining of the Nation , Mr.
54:18Mayoral , who came to Tucumán , saying
54:20that the contamination of the La
54:22Lumbrera mining company does not exist ,
54:24is also an accomplice . When we
54:30initiated the case of La Lumbrera
54:31mining company and proved the
54:33contamination with chemical studies
54:35done by the National Gendamerie , the
54:36judge let the mine know that he was
54:38going to collect samples . It is not a
54:42surprise . It is as if you were going to
54:45look for drugs somewhere and you let
54:47the drug trafficker know a week in
54:48advance , saying , “ Hey , I’m going to
54:50get the cocaine you have in the freezer
54:52. ” And the judge will issue a
54:54sentence saying that it is wonderful ,
54:57that the company works perfectly and
54:59that there is nothing like that .
55:01He is the same one who was dismissed .
55:03He is the same federal judge who was
55:05dismissed for corruption . And La
55:08Lumbrera mining company not only
55:10committed this crime , but was also
55:11smuggling the mineral through the port
55:13of San Lorenzo in Rosario . This is like
55:16the Alcapone thing too , right ? Alcapone
55:18, despite being the great criminal , is
55:21imprisoned for tax evasion . Despite
55:23stealing all our resources , we want to
55:26imprison Minera Lumbrera for pollution .
55:33Regarding the issue of pollution , we
55:36can say that Minera Lumbrera's mining
55:39activity complies with all legal
55:42provisions and meets the most demanding
55:45international and national standards .
55:49An
55:50investigation was carried out and that
55:52is how he ended up being prosecuted .
55:54They know our safety record . There is
55:57no country in Latin America that has
55:59prosecuted the manager of a company
56:01like this for a pollution crime . This
56:06practically scandalized the mining
56:08world . The fundamental reason for
56:19Rooney's prosecution is because the
56:21victims and the people began to visit
56:23the chamber judges and say , " Look
56:25what's happening to me . " He brought the
56:27photo of his dead animals . Today , as we
56:30have it , the judicial system does not
56:33work . We need to make a cultural change
56:35and that cultural change can only be
56:38made by the people . We made some flyers
56:46in front of the federal courthouse and
56:48put up a purple banner that said , "
56:50Judges , you are in default . " And that
56:54had such an impact on the judges that
56:56in a month and a half , in two months ,
56:59we already had the prosecution of
57:01Julian Runen . This case had been
57:05shelved for 3 years . So , uh , and the
57:09case actually dates back 10 years , it's
57:12from 1999. We have to change the
57:18mentality of believing that justice is
57:21only for lawyers . People have to
57:25convince themselves that they have to
57:27be persistent , to constantly go to
57:29demand justice , but not in public
57:31squares , in the judges ' offices , in the
57:33places where the judges feel bad . They
57:41have asked for my dismissal precisely
57:43for doing this type of investigation .
58:05The center of the mining conflict has
58:08moved to San Juan , where the largest
58:11multinational corporations are
58:13operating with strong support from
58:16advertising campaigns , among them Barry
58:19Gold , which has opened two of the
58:24largest gold and copper complexes in
58:26the country , Veladero and Pascua Lama ,
58:30in the heart of the Sanina mountain
58:32range . The provincial governor , José
58:39Luisja , chaired the mining committee of
58:43the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation
58:46in the 90s , promoting the modification
58:49of mining laws to benefit corporations .
58:58Mining for the extraction of gold and
59:00silver is done in San Juan in the open
59:02pit . Cyanide is used in the leaching
59:06processes . I believe that the mining
59:09legal framework that was created in the
59:1290s has provided security , especially
59:15to investors , because
59:21the mining laws that Kioja promoted
59:23were based on our ultra-liberal mining
59:26code that states , " The State cannot
59:29exploit or dispose of mines ; it must
59:32transfer them to private activity ,
59:34guaranteeing perpetual and transferable
59:37ownership . Hio had mining interests and
59:43these mining interests come from
59:46private companies that provide
59:49supplies . One of them , I have mentioned
59:52it many times , is Santa Gema Ventonita ,
59:54which clearly stated on its website , "
59:56Our main client is Barrigol Techín . "
1:00:02How does it operate ?
1:00:04There are many ways to corrupt . The
1:00:07mining business is the business of
1:00:08bribery . The neighborhood operates that
1:00:11way . They are the ones who create these
1:00:14texts of surrender and plunder . They
1:00:17are the ones who create the laws and
1:00:19for that they have Trojan horses
1:00:20installed in our countries . In our case
1:00:23, Menía had a right hand in this ,
1:00:25which was Cohan . He also empowered some
1:00:28others . For example , Mr. Jioja in San
1:00:32Juan , who formed the basis for
1:00:34supporting this policy . César Gioja ,
1:00:38his brother , chairs the Mining
1:00:39Committee in the Senate and the other
1:00:42chairs the committee in the Mining
1:00:44Chamber of Deputies . In other words ,
1:00:47they control where these laws are
1:00:49created , and they also control local
1:00:52power because all justice goes through
1:00:55Jioja's hands in San Juan . So today it
1:00:58is a fiefdom where we practically
1:01:00cannot speak . There , environmentalists
1:01:03who raise their voices can be
1:01:05imprisoned because they have even
1:01:06created a law that prohibits
1:01:08demonstrations that speak out against
1:01:10this Mining nonsense . Peter Moon is the
1:01:40king of gold . He invented the Canadian
1:01:42Barry Gold company , but he needed
1:01:45capital . The capital was given to him
1:01:48by a Saudi Arabian arms dealer , who is
1:01:50called Snancasogi . Bush , the elder Bush
1:01:54when he was in charge of the CIA in the
1:01:56United States . They intervene in opium
1:01:59laundering banks . Bus would pick up the
1:02:01phone and get a mining site anywhere in
1:02:03the world . Barrick grows with that
1:02:06power and when it lacks that power , it
1:02:08sends in mercenaries .
1:02:09Who are the mercenaries ?
1:02:11Mercenaries are those people who , when
1:02:13they can't achieve their goal in one
1:02:15way , they achieve it with weapons or
1:02:17violence . For example , the civil war
1:02:19they unleashed in Africa , in Zaire , in
1:02:21the Belgian Congo . Today , giving a
1:02:28monetary figure for what they are going
1:02:31to take is even imprudent . They have an
1:02:35airport built at 4,500 meters above sea
1:02:37level where the gold metal bar ends up
1:02:39in the coffers of that plane and from
1:02:42there it takes off .
1:02:44It ends up in a bar . It's a metal bar
1:02:46or that in some cases weighs more than
1:02:4830 kg and then that bar goes to its
1:02:50destination and from there they
1:02:52separate the gold , silver and minerals
1:02:54that they import . Here everything is
1:02:58delivered , here everything is
1:03:00subsidized . Barrí consumes in one
1:03:03second what a typical family in San
1:03:06Juan consumes in a day
1:03:08of water . of water in one second . I do
1:03:11it like this , at least 1000 L are used .
1:03:17We estimate that Barry could stay here
1:03:19at this point for more than 100 years .
1:03:22Why ? Because it has had many deposits
1:03:25that it has been discovering now after
1:03:28Veladero and Pascual . Another of the
1:03:47objectives of the Barry Gol is to
1:03:50re-exploit the enormous wealth of the
1:03:52mythical Famatina hill in La Rioja ,
1:03:54whose gold veins had been plundered by
1:03:57the English at the beginning of the
1:03:5920th century . Well , here we are at the
1:04:05La Mexicana mine that belongs to the
1:04:07Famatina department , province of La
1:04:09Rioja . The mine that at the beginning
1:04:14of the century was exploited by the
1:04:16English and that after a few 30 years
1:04:19of exploitation or 20 years it was
1:04:21closed and it is currently being
1:04:26exploited through the open system . In
1:04:33Mexico they built a 30 km long cable
1:04:36car , the longest of its time , to
1:04:39transport the mineral . The English did
1:04:46it with loans from the Banco Nación
1:04:49that they never repaid . Well , then
1:04:55these are mine shafts that have been
1:04:57abandoned at that time . So if it is
1:05:00exploited again , theoretically what we
1:05:02see there would not be seen again . In
1:05:06other words , both this and that , what
1:05:08we have there in front of us are
1:05:09concrete possibilities that this will
1:05:11be blown up and that it will disappear .
1:05:27The Famatín gold gave rise to the most
1:05:30emblematic case of corruption in the
1:05:32province of La Rioja . Governor Ángel
1:05:37Masa had signed an agreement with
1:05:39Barrigol to extract the mineral in the
1:05:42open air with explosions and cyanide .
1:05:46Falling into the easy trap that we are
1:05:48really going to raffle off , much less
1:05:50sacrifice , the scarcest resource that
1:05:52we have , as a group of teachers and
1:06:00neighbors of Chilecito and Famatina
1:06:03reacted by organizing assemblies that
1:06:06demanded explanations to provincial
1:06:08officials . Point one , a nitrate
1:06:12solution is used , it is not pure
1:06:14anhydrous what is being used .
1:06:16But what happened in Catarca ? So ,
1:06:19I can't , I'm going to take charge of my
1:06:21province .
1:06:21Yeah . I don't
1:06:23want you to run for full office . If
1:06:27I am , uh , in charge of the
1:06:28environmental department of the
1:06:29province . Did you know that past the
1:06:41little boxes , the company dynamited the
1:06:44Inca Trail on the right ? Do you at
1:06:47least know where the little boxes are
1:06:49so that you can justify your salary and
1:06:50answer me ? What are you talking about ,
1:06:55preserving archaeological relics when
1:06:58the Inca Trail was dynamited ? They are
1:07:07going to leave us with tremendous
1:07:09desertification and you know it . You
1:07:12know that you have a salary that can
1:07:14support your family and move somewhere
1:07:17else , not us . Those of us who are going
1:07:21to stay here are not any of you , it's
1:07:23us . We have never known gold . We are
1:07:32stripped of our rights , of Everything .
1:07:37Tell me , is there a chair left behind
1:07:40from some theft of gold that was taken
1:07:43by Germany , England , Canada , the United
1:07:45States , Asia , and they want to continue
1:07:48doing the same until when ? Given the
1:08:07lack of response , they decided to block
1:08:10access to the Famatina hill in Peñas
1:08:13Negras . Faced with the responsible
1:08:17actions of officials who refuse to
1:08:19listen to the opinion of the people ,
1:08:21there is no other option than to unite
1:08:24and fight for our right to choose how
1:08:26to live .
1:08:29Barri is coming tomorrow , he shows up
1:08:31here , I want such and such a deposit on
1:08:32such and such a side and they have to
1:08:33give it to him . They
1:08:35have to give it to him . It is the
1:08:37mining code and when we have a problem ,
1:08:40a concern , we have to justify it , right
1:08:42? We should not take this long route
1:08:44and say , look , it seems to me that you
1:08:46are polluting because of this and this
1:08:48and this .
1:08:53Governor Ángel Maa hardened his
1:08:55position and the blockade lasted for
1:08:57months , generating a political crisis .
1:09:05Vice Governor Beder Herrera questioned
1:09:07the legislature about the contract
1:09:09signed with Barric and came out in
1:09:11support of the environmentalists . We
1:09:13are
1:09:16not going to allow them to contaminate
1:09:17our water and that's how it will be .
1:09:21But there's another issue . There's
1:09:25another issue . We're not going to allow
1:09:28them to take everything either . This is
1:09:31plunder . This is plunder . I want to
1:09:37thank them very especially , and we have
1:09:39to give credit to the pure
1:09:41environmentalists . We have to give
1:09:47credit to them for having waged a
1:09:49courageous fight . The so-called pure
1:09:58environmentalists had their driving
1:10:01force in that group of teachers from
1:10:03Chilecito and Famatina who had promoted
1:10:06awareness in the community that water
1:10:08is worth more than gold . Well , this is
1:10:13the Cueva de Pérez camp . It's the
1:10:16place where the Baricol people were set
1:10:19up , uh , with a lot of technology to
1:10:22begin mining all this that we see here
1:10:25in the background . Back there we have
1:10:29eternal snows , we have glaciers that
1:10:31the people of Bayik have never
1:10:33recognized as such . And well , we have
1:10:37an area of very high mineralization .
1:10:39The glaciers would blow up .
1:10:41Yes .
1:10:43The Bágica abandoned the Cueva de
1:10:45Pérez camp a year and a half ago when
1:10:48we began cutting Peña Negra . The noina
1:10:52is not being touched . No touching . With
1:11:01the consensus of the entire community ,
1:11:03we knew that we could make the cut in
1:11:05Peñas Negras and that implied putting
1:11:07in a lot of willpower , a lot of
1:11:08self-respect and giving up a little bit
1:11:10of each one's life because we had to
1:11:12come to get cold , to get warm , to leave
1:11:14our families , our jobs . I am married
1:11:18and I have two children .
1:11:19What did your husband say ? And at first
1:11:21my husband accompanied me and then we
1:11:24had some arguments , but anyway , in the
1:11:28long run we are fine again . At first
1:11:31there were 15 of us , then we invited
1:11:33other neighbors , we invited the mayor
1:11:36at that time and we organized what is
1:11:38called self-convened neighbors for the
1:11:41life of Famatina . No touching
1:11:44Elfamatina .
1:11:46No touching Elfamatina . Our schools
1:11:49threaten to lay us off and leave us
1:11:52without work , as teachers , if we talk
1:11:55about mining or the environment in
1:11:58schools . Our students have investigated
1:12:01, they have done research work , they
1:12:03have made murals throughout the town ,
1:12:05telling the story of the mining
1:12:07experience , the looting experience and
1:12:09the death that produces mining . That's
1:12:11what the murals tell . Last year , when
1:12:19people from the mining department came
1:12:21to talk to them precisely about the
1:12:23benefits of mining , the kids questioned
1:12:26the discourse these people were
1:12:28bringing a lot . I mean , they wanted to
1:12:31put things in our heads that weren't
1:12:33real , like that mining doesn't pollute
1:12:35and a lot of other things . I didn't say
1:12:38that . What did you tell them ? We just
1:12:40dragged it out . Seriously , huh ? Well ,
1:12:58I have a degree in occupational therapy
1:13:01and I work with other technicians in
1:13:04advising teachers to improve the
1:13:06learning process and also to improve
1:13:09teaching , so that kids learn better .
1:13:21Marcela , when did you get into this ?
1:13:24And I've been in this for 3 years , 3
1:13:26consecutive years .
1:13:28What made you decide ? I was decided by
1:13:31helplessness and I was decided by
1:13:35corruption and this mafia power that is
1:13:39killing all Argentines . It's not just
1:13:44something environmental , something for
1:13:46our environment , which is what moved me
1:13:49obviously , but it's for a citizen's
1:13:51right that I didn't have it in my head .
1:13:59We have received instructions here that
1:14:02we cannot talk about the issue of
1:14:04mining or take children to different
1:14:07demonstrations .
1:14:09And how does television act ? Good
1:14:11afternoon .
1:14:12No , television is state-owned , it is at
1:14:14the service of the government , as are
1:14:17the written media ,
1:14:21and the government says that we are all
1:14:23going to have access to mining projects
1:14:25and control , but we have to abide by
1:14:27the fact that there is responsible
1:14:28mining , there is clean mining . We are
1:14:34aware that the day people have to take
1:14:37to the streets to defend everything ,
1:14:39they will do so because there are many
1:14:41issues that people swallow but do not
1:14:44forget .
1:14:47I have never used double standards on
1:14:49anything in my life . If I tell you that
1:14:54I am going to end corruption in Roja , I
1:14:56will end it and we are going to pass a
1:14:59law prohibiting open-pit mining in the
1:15:01province of Roja . Promoted by Vice
1:15:09Governor Beder Herrera , the Rioja
1:15:11legislature spoke out against polluting
1:15:14mining and for the investigation of the
1:15:17contract with Barrios . The crisis
1:15:26culminated in the dismissal of the
1:15:28governor . Masa and Beder Herrera took
1:15:30over as his replacement . Months later ,
1:15:40in October 2007 , Beder was elected
1:15:43governor and betrayed everyone ,
1:15:48confirming the contract with BR .
1:15:51The law is no longer in force .
1:15:59Environmentalists continued to block
1:16:02the Famatina road at the Peñas Negras
1:16:05post . There is a beautiful legend about
1:16:17Famatina that says that when Tupagamaru
1:16:19was dismembered in Alto Peru , the seal
1:16:22thundered , calling on the indigenous
1:16:25people to free their race . We are in
1:16:56San Juan , at the ninth WAC meeting .
1:17:00This was held for the first time in
1:17:02Córdoba . We decided to hold a union of
1:17:05citizen assemblies that aims to
1:17:08interconnect the struggles of all the
1:17:10communities affected by this
1:17:13contamination , destruction and plunder .
1:17:17It was decided due to the importance of
1:17:20San Juan as the place where mining
1:17:22activity was first installed on the
1:17:25Argentine-Chilean Joint Implementation
1:17:27Treaty . That is why here at this moment
1:17:31these 1,000 people who are gathered
1:17:33debating from all over the Andes
1:17:34mountain range are receiving the The
1:17:36presence of Chileans , with whom we are
1:17:38working side by side .
1:17:42Well , this is one of the most important
1:17:45social organization phenomena in
1:17:47Argentina in recent years . While the
1:17:50protests of the 90s were very important
1:17:52, these unions of citizen assemblies
1:17:55that emerged in 20056 have , as a common
1:18:01element , as a basic element , resistance
1:18:06to a devastating model . And something
1:18:10that is very important to highlight is
1:18:12the diversity of the population that
1:18:14exists here . We have to bring ...
1:18:17If you stop at one of these committees ,
1:18:20you will find doctors , lawyers , people
1:18:22who come from indigenous communities ,
1:18:25from peasant communities .
1:18:35The objective of this assembly is to
1:18:37stop the imminent beginning of Pascua
1:18:40Lama . Pascua is on the Chilean side ,
1:18:45Lama is on the Argentine side . The
1:18:48entire Penelope Pascualama complex
1:18:50belongs to the Barrigol Corporation . It
1:18:55is one of the largest deposits in the
1:18:58world . According to the Mining
1:19:01Secretariat , its reserves of gold ,
1:19:04silver and other metals currently
1:19:07exceed 80,000 million dollars . To
1:19:14obtain this wealth , In Veladero alone ,
1:19:174,000 tons of cyanide are used per year
1:19:21, 10 tons per day with 100 million
1:19:24liters of drinking water that they use
1:19:30for free . And the energy consumption ,
1:19:37when the complex operates
1:19:38simultaneously , will use the equivalent
1:19:41of what the country's two nuclear power
1:19:44plants produce , a single complex ,
1:19:47almost 12 % of the country's energy . The
1:19:58most serious fact of handing over our
1:20:01minerals is the Argentine-Chilean
1:20:03Mining Treaty . It creates an autonomous
1:20:07administration of the two states ,
1:20:10eliminates the border and invents a
1:20:12third territory , another country with
1:20:15its own sovereignty . It is an
1:20:19unprecedented agreement in contemporary
1:20:22history . It gives transnational
1:20:26companies a 100 km wide border strip
1:20:29along the mountain range , including
1:20:32nature reserves and allowing them to
1:20:35exploit resources without any control ,
1:20:38where they could operate military bases
1:20:41. It was signed in 1997 by Presidents
1:20:47Menem and Frey . The depredation of the
1:20:53protected areas of San Guillermo ,
1:20:55adjacent to the Veladero and Pascua
1:20:57Lama deposits and the intervention of
1:21:00the glaciers and the destruction of the
1:21:02glaciers . Bull 1 , Bull 2 and Esperanza
1:21:05mobilized environmentalists . At the end
1:21:11of 2008 , the National Congress
1:21:13unanimously voted for a law to protect
1:21:15glaciers , but pressure from Barrick and
1:21:20Governor Jioja got President Cristina
1:21:23Fernández to veto the law . It is no
1:21:40coincidence that the veto of the
1:21:43glacier law has been popularly known as
1:21:46the Barrick veto , but people ask , how
1:21:48would we manage without mining products
1:21:51? So , is a different type of mining
1:21:55possible , a non-polluting mining , a
1:21:57sustainable mining ? Well , the answer is
1:22:01first of all whether we do indeed need
1:22:02mining products in our daily lives .
1:22:04These goggles and many other things
1:22:06that we all use are made with mining
1:22:09products . Therefore , mining is
1:22:11necessary . We necessarily need mineral
1:22:15products . Now , at the same time , this
1:22:18form of mining that is being done now
1:22:21is neither necessary nor sustainable .
1:22:24Another form of mining is possible on a
1:22:26different scale , on a small scale , with
1:22:28better environmental protection . What
1:22:30happens is that it stops being
1:22:31profitable for the big companies .
1:22:32multinationals . This is the issue . And
1:22:39it should be a goal of the Argentine
1:22:41people and the peoples of Latin America
1:22:43to overthrow these legal statutes of
1:22:45the mining crown , these Argentine
1:22:47cooperation treaties change .
1:22:50Well , with popular action , mobilization
1:22:53is also changed from legal action , from
1:22:55institutional action , it changes from
1:22:57many sides . The new offensive of the
1:23:04Barric with the support of the national
1:23:07government was not limited to Pascua
1:23:09Lama , insisted on the reconquest of
1:23:11Famatina and confronted the
1:23:13environmentalists . They are going to
1:23:17use absolutely everything necessary to
1:23:19get us out of the way . Uh , they are
1:23:22going to resort to violence , the
1:23:24criminalization of protest , to
1:23:26discredit us , to break up the
1:23:28assemblies , to the offer of jobs with
1:23:31salaries that are higher than the
1:23:33average that we have in the area , to
1:23:35the patronage in the institutions that
1:23:38is already coming . Recently the Ver
1:23:42Herrera police repressed them in
1:23:44Chilecito and now in Peñas Negras . How
1:23:48was Peñas Negra ? It was another act of
1:23:53violence against the three comrades who
1:23:56at that time were on guard at the
1:23:58roadblock in the checkpoint . Mining
1:24:03trucks from the province and the
1:24:06environment broke through the barrier ,
1:24:09destroyed the padlock and began to
1:24:12insult the boys who were there at that
1:24:15time .
1:24:18What are you doing ? You
1:24:20touch my head . Touch it and you get
1:24:23hurt . Touch it and you get hurt . I have
1:24:25the who ...
1:24:30What are you doing
1:24:31getting out of the way ? He's not going
1:24:33to cut me off , you know ?
1:24:34Oh , no . Who are you ? Cap .
1:24:35And who are you , man ?
1:24:38Very good . Go on , hit him , hit him .
1:24:40You're going to be famous ,
1:24:41right ? Go on , go on . Shame , shame .
1:25:08Don't touch me , don't touch me . Don't
1:25:14touch me . Get it out , I'm going to
1:25:29leave . At that moment , something
1:25:44happened that was very important for
1:25:46the people of Famatina . We began to
1:25:49call people together , well , through a
1:25:52radio , but also through the ringing of
1:25:54the church bells . It was very exciting
1:25:59to see how People began to arrive after
1:26:01the church bells rang . Neighbors
1:26:14repudiated the aggressors and ended up
1:26:17in a town demanding that the officials
1:26:19be punished . You didn't
1:26:25do the same to the girls . Yaito , come
1:26:33here .
1:26:37Children , young people , and the elderly
1:26:40began to arrive just as they were , in
1:26:42the work clothes they wore at home .
1:26:44People remained inside the police
1:26:47station until 3 a.m.
1:26:49The girls were inside filing complaints
1:26:52, but the aggressors , these public
1:26:54officials , were also inside because
1:26:57they were afraid to come out . The
1:27:02environmentalists ' complaint was
1:27:04unsuccessful . On the contrary , it was
1:27:08the officials who claimed to have been
1:27:11assaulted . Karina Díaz Moreno and
1:27:18Marcela Crave were prosecuted for
1:27:20blocking the road .
1:27:22The criminal case is ongoing .
1:27:36The protest by the residents of
1:27:38Famatina , Chilecito , and Andalgalá was
1:27:41not the only one . The environmental
1:27:45movement demanding a ban on polluting
1:27:48mining has grown throughout the country
1:27:51. They are about to build an open-pit
1:27:55mine . This means that mining will be
1:27:57prohibited . It is done with
1:27:58determination . We are defending the
1:28:00people of Mendoza . The triumph of the
1:28:09referendum of the people of Esquel and
1:28:11the struggles of the assembly members
1:28:14of Hualeguachú stimulated the
1:28:16mobilizations that achieved resounding
1:28:18victories . The legislatures of seven
1:28:26provinces , Chubut , Rio Negro , La Pampa ,
1:28:29Mendoza , Tucumán , San Luis and
1:28:32Córdoba , spoke out against open-pit
1:28:35mining with toxic substances .
1:28:39Yes , it is true . I believe they were
1:28:41wrong .
1:28:41The seven provinces .
1:28:43The seven provinces . It is possible to
1:28:47change mining legislation and
1:28:49concessions by decision of governments
1:28:51or parliaments . New mining must have
1:28:59the approval and control of citizens .
1:29:05The provinces can exploit the mines on
1:29:08their own or in association with the
1:29:10nation . The land rebels against
1:29:26centuries of plundering and
1:29:28contamination . Conscience rebels
1:29:34against deception and poisons . Water is
1:29:41worth more than gold , than income and
1:29:44pleasures . Life is worth more than
1:29:50anything you can get in any way . Today
1:30:00the land rebels and sometimes shouts , "
1:30:03Enough . " " of looting , enough of
1:30:07mistreatment . "