Turkey: Bergama against "Eurogold"

[ozgurluk at xs4all.nl]

From: Press Agency Ozgurluk <ozgurluk at xs4all.nl>


Bergama, a village 1 .5 hour from Izmir, with its natural beauty, is
one of the attractions of Turkey. Now, a foreign company tries to
destroy the natural treasures of Bergama, annihilating the livelihood
of the population, by winning gold with a destructive method, using
cyanide.

Imperialism is the enemy of nature and of mankind

Imperialism is the enemy of all human values and it destroys nature,
just to enlarge its capital. This can also be seen in Bergama where
"Eurogold" and its collaborators (and monopolies) are threatening life
in an unscrupulous manner.  But the people in Bergama do not remain
silent about the destruction of nature.  Since 1990, the population
has been fighting with all its strength against the sell-out of their
land, their livelihood, to the foreign capitalists.

The people are saying: "We are sold cheap for a few dollars." The
state authorities knew right from the beginning of the gold winning
with the cyanide procedure that the population would be poisoned
because of the waste products and the gasses, mixing with water and
air. The lives of the people and the animals in the region is severely
threatened. Because of the cyanide in the ground water, the harvests,
the livelihood of the population, will be contaminated that much that
the products can no longer be consumed and thus will be destroyed.

The people, fighting for 7 years against Eurogold, shouts the slogan:
"We are the people, we will win."

The people in Bergama are determined, and rightly so, to chase away
Eurogold from the region. To express their rights, and to spread their
call for justice everywhere, press statements are published and
discussion meetings are organised. For 6 months, mass actions have
been organised now. Action committees were set up to co-ordinate and
to better organise several forms of action.  Furthermore, the village
population founded a People's Council, joining the struggle against
Eurogold.

The People's Council is the true people's form of organising. Word and
action meet here. The People's Council is the organisation where the
people's problems, and possible solutions, are discussed and where
everybody has the right to speak. Decisions are made, and those who
make them do their utmost to realise possible solutions.

The people is using its entire strength against the murderous gold
winning through cyanide by Eurogold.

Several parties and organisations (HOP, DSP, CHP, ODP, KESK, SES,
Ataturkcu Dusunce Dernegi) are helping to spread the People's Councils
to other villages.  4-5 villages participated in a meeting in the
village of Pinar where the villagers decided to found their
council. To ease the council's work, tasks are delegated to the
villagers. Together with the population, discussions are carried out,
actions are planned. (For example: road blocks). Now there are already
People's Councils in 17 villages which defend the people's rights in a
disciplined way, saying "No", resisting the exploitation of nature,
the destruction of their environment and their livelihood and the
threat against their lives by Eurogold.

Everybody who calls himself a human being should listen to the voice
of the people in Bergama who defend the future of their villages and
they should fight against imperialism and collaboration together with
them. The problem is not just saving nature, the problem is the
survival of the people as well.

The people in Bergama will not sell out their country to the
imperialists.

"There is only one thing left to do: fight."

(Hamza Kural, farmer, 32, from the village of Narlica)

"The winning of gold with cyanide will have a strong effect on our
lives. We depend on farming, it is our only means of existence. The
damage caused here by the winning of gold is indisputable. It's about
the life of the people. When they want to win gold here, there is only
one thing left to do: fight - we will either die because of the
cyanide, or because who fought against it."

"We will not abandon this fight."

(Huseyin Ozyali, farmer, 46, from the village of Cam)

"We want solutions on a democratic way. But the state is not listening
to our voice. We are in a disadvantageous position. We will not leave
our land, even if this will cost us our lives. We are prepared to do
anything to get rid of this company which threatens our life and we
will not give up without a fight."

"The people will fight for justice."

(Suleyman Bektas, farmer, 50, from the village of Cam)

"The fate of the people here can not be in the hands of those who work
for the state. We will try the democratic ways till the end and if
necessary, the people will fight for justice."

-- 
Press-Agency Ozgurluk: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ozgurluk
Turkey Contra-Guerrilla-State: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ozgurluk/contrind/
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