Anti-mining group to boycott government town hall event

An Ireland-wide network of communities resisting mining intends to boycott a town hall event being held by the Government on its Consultation on the Draft Policy Statement on Mineral Exploration and Mining in Ireland.

Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) was invited to take part in the consultation, which is closing on October 15, 2021.

Speaking to Donegal Live, Inishowen's Rose Kelly, a member of Save Inishowen from Gold mining and a member of CAIM, explained CAIM had been invited to take part in what was billed as a “town hall meeting”.

“However,” she added, “although town hall meetings are typically known as an open space for citizens to voice their concerns, it became increasingly clear this was a closed forum, with only a few selected speakers and attendees, on the other side of a 'webinar wall'.

“This is a poor excuse for a consultation and CAIM will not legitimise it with our presence. We are a network of people in communities affected by mining, yet we do not represent all people in all affected communities. It is rural communities that are and will be most affected by mining exploration and extraction. And within these communities it is the most vulnerable, the elderly, the disabled, the economically poor, and other marginalised groups who are most at risk.

“Yet it is these same groups who find it most difficult to access these virtual events, many of whom do not often have easy access to the internet, much less a good signal.

“Therefore online information sessions and ‘town hall’ events are simply not sufficient. This is not to mention the lack of translation into the Irish language for Gaeltacht areas such as Connemara that have been targeted by the mining industry.”

Ms Kelly added that equality and human rights standards were not being met.

She said: “The government needs to go into these communities and needs to listen to them before selling their futures to the extractive industries.

“The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), which has responsibility for this consultation, cannot use Coronavirus restrictions as an excuse not to engage the public democratically and fairly in decisions that affect them.

“The Republic of Ireland is due to lift these restrictions on October 22, therefore this consultation needs to be extended well beyond this date to allow for in person meetings, in communities across the country.

“This new Minerals Development Act will be tying communities into a pro-industry regime for many years to come; sacrificing rural communities without even consulting them.

“Aside from being conducted the wrong way, this consultation is also asking the wrong questions. There is no point asking how we can do mining better in a system that needs to be urgently transformed.

“We need to move away from a growth-obsessed, extractive economy to one that is life-sustaining and focused on the well-being of our citizens and ecosystems.

“This means a drastic reduction in consumption, among other deep changes. Europe comprises 6% of the world population yet gobbles up a 30% share of the Earth’s resource use. The burden, however, should be on government and industry, not individuals.”

Ms Kelly also asked if the Government of the Republic of Ireland had consulted with the Government of Northern Ireland on this proposed Minerals Development Act?

She said; “Has it consulted with the Councils lining the border? The Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment places a clear obligation on the Government to do so, as does its own Shared Island strategy.

“CAIM will be making a written statement to the so-called consultation, but this does not mean we accept that it constitutes as a fair one. We demand democratic, inclusive participation in decisions that determine our future.

“We live on a beautiful island that sustains us in so many different ways, and this island is under threat from extractivism. As individuals and communities we have come together to oppose these destructive industries.

“It is both our right and our responsibility to do so. Extractivism takes from the Earth what cannot be replaced and in the action of doing so destroys the abundant life that is there. We cannot and will not allow this.

“Some key reports that expose green-washing and point the way to a truly just and equitable transition are: A Material Transition (War on Want); Green Mining is a Myth (Friends of the Earth Europe); and Our Existence is Our Resistance (Yes to Life No to Mining).”