Sunday 16th October // 5-7pm // Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh (17 West Montgomery Place)

Julio Cesar Gomez, President of FECODEMIGUA, the Federation of Communities Displaced by Mining in La Guajira is visiting the UK to talk about ongoing resistance to one of the largest open cast coal mines in the world - and one that directly supplies Scotland's coal-fired power stations with coal. Hear about the struggle in Colombia and share experiences of resisting open cast in Colombia and Scotland. BHP Billiton owns one-third of the huge Cerrejón opencast coal mine, which has displaced many communities and threatens to displace still more. Displaced communities have united in FECODEMIGUA and are demanding justice.

Our solidarity is as transnational as their capital!

More on BHP Billiton from the London Mining Network:

BHP Billiton is the world’s largest diversified resources company. It made record profits of $23.6 billion over the past year. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Many British workers’ pension funds, British banks and insurance companies have investments in it – but most British people have never heard of it.

BHP Billiton is heavily involved in the production of minerals for energy: coal, oil, gas and uranium. It makes a massive contribution to worsening climate change and is creating deadly radioactive pollution for hundreds of thousands of years to come. Its operations contribute to or benefit from involuntary relocation of communities and the destruction of rural communities’ livelihoods.