Joint action in Greece and Turkey against gold mining activities by Eldorado

Several groups endorse the joint statement: on the Greek side, it is signed by the Thessaloniki Struggle Committee against Mining Activity in NE Halkidiki, the Megali Panagia Struggle Committee, and the “They Are Digging Our Grave” collective. From Turkey, the signatories include EGEÇEP (Aegean Environmental and Cultural Platform), Kazma Birak (the Turkish coordination of the joint initiative against mining and war in Turkey-Greece-Cyprus), and the “Alliance for Climate Justice Turkey.”

The announcement in detail:

In Turkey, there are 22 gold mines, 19 of which are currently active, all using cyanide for gold extraction. At least 20 new gold mines are planned, licensed, and set to begin operations. On February 13, 2024, the cyanide tailings tank at the Erzincan İliç Çöpler gold mine, owned by the Canadian company Anagold, collapsed. Nine workers were trapped, and cyanide spilled into the Euphrates River, which flows through Iraq and Syria.

Eldorado Gold operates two gold mines in Turkey: Uşak Kışladağ and İzmir Efemçukuru. In 2006, a cyanide leak in Uşak Kışladağ poisoned 1,500 people, but the blood samples were stolen, preventing proof. The crimes of these multinational companies often go unpunished due to legal immunity. In Turkey, gold is valued more than human and animal life, environmental health, and cultural heritage, which is why we fight against gold mining.

In Greece, Eldorado Gold exploited the economic crisis to secure a colonial-style contract with police and judicial support. They used part of their workforce to attack opposition. The company has built an open-pit mine in Skouries, Halkidiki, releasing millions of tons of toxic, asbestos-filled dust. It has destroyed vast forest areas, polluted water supplies, and caused water shortages and contamination, alongside the destruction of archaeological sites.

Eldorado has also established a tax avoidance scheme through the Netherlands and Barbados. The recent catastrophic floods in Greece showed that the huge waste dams Eldorado is building can easily collapse. Furthermore, building such enormous toxic dams in an earthquake-prone area is sheer madness.

Eldorado gained some local support by exploiting the high unemployment rates, offering jobs, but now that the company has secured all necessary permits, it is demanding 12-hour workdays from the miners.

Our beliefs and goals:

We believe that the wealth of our land lies in its nature and its people. Eldorado destroys both. Therefore, we fight to drive Eldorado out, restore the area, and pursue sustainable practices that do not prioritise profits over people and the environment.

Our key points

Environmental impact:
Mining pollutes and destroys local ecosystems, harms the health of workers and residents, and significantly contributes to the climate crisis. The intensification of extreme weather conditions exacerbates the risk of major natural disasters in mining areas.

Government accountability:
We denounce our governments for prioritising profit and so-called development and investment over environmental and worker protections. They hand over entire territories to mining companies under colonial terms and allow them to operate with little to no oversight.

Solidarity and resistance:
We stand in solidarity with all militant movements opposing mining and facing severe repression, orchestrated through the collaboration of governments, corporations, police, and the judiciary.

Anti-war stance:
The fight against mining is also a fight against war. The economic crisis deepens geopolitical rivalries, the struggle for control over energy resources and raw materials, the arms race, and nationalist confrontations. Many regions are experiencing the horrors of war, and we are on the brink of widespread military conflict. The peoples sharing our land, sea, and air are not enemies. We reject being used as cannon fodder. Solidarity and joint struggle against the interests of capitalists and their governments are our weapons.

We call for joint action against mining and for the protection of our environment and communities. The wealth of our lands should benefit its people and nature, not multinational corporations.

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