Mass arrests at mine protest
A protest at Barrick Gold’s mine in Lake Cowal saw the arrest of 28 protesters on April 12.
Authorised to enter the central west NSW mine site by the Wiradjuri Traditional Owners but not by Canadian-owned mining giant Barrick Gold, the protesters entered the mine at dawn and climbed into the open cut pit.
Meanwhile Wiradjuri Traditional Owners performed a smoking ceremony and 15 other protesters blockaded the front gates of the mine, shutting out 50 workers from the site.
On Feb 5 the NSW Land and Environment Court ruled in favour of Wiradjuri Traditional Owner Neville Chappy Williams, with an injunction restraining NSW Planning Minister Kristina Kenneally from determining the modification request to expand the gold mine into the lake bed, doubling the size of the mine and extracting a further 53 million tonnes of ore from the open cut pit.
“We are very pleased with the result,” Mr Williams said. “Now we demand that Barrick close the mine and leave. We have been fighting for nearly 10 years and will continue to fight until we get justice. Along with our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, USA, Chile, Argentina and Pakistan we stand united against Barrick Gold’s continuing human rights and environmental abuses at their mine operations.“
