There is always hope! – Community vs mining bosses in Turkey

Ray Goodspeed introduces a video from Turkey – “There is Always Hope: Story of İkizköy“ (photo – still from video)

This short video (13 minutes – subtitled – watch here) tells the inspiring story of the Muğla Environment Platform, which unites local residents in a poor rural area of southern Turkey with other Turkish environment campaigners to take on both the government and the big mining corporations to preserve their villages, their homes and the forest. It is a moving story of what is possible when ordinary people, particularly including local women, stand together to resist big corporate interests.

Ever since 1979, the mining companies have been encroaching on their villages, and the local people, often poorly educated, have allegedly been tricked into signing away their homes. Later, some villagers were threatened with expropriation if they refused to sell. The government, who are pushing the expansion of the huge open-cast mine, assumed that they would be isolated, with no lawyers or journalists or other campaigners to defend their interests – they were wrong!

Wanton destruction

As well as smashing the villages in its path, the mine has led to an increase in cancers and other diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and the wanton destruction of olive trees and a large forest. The mine also uses up local water supplies. And of course, in the wider context of global warming, extending the mine is madness. The government want it to last for another 25 years. We simply can’t wait that long to cut carbon emissions!

Local people have used legal action to block the further expansion of the mine for the first time, at least temporarily. They have also carried out sit-down and passive resistance to physically prevent the trees being damaged or cut down. Local people have formed an all-year-round, 24/7 camp in the forest, together with campaigners from outside, where a minimum presence of four or five people keep watch at all times to prevent the loss of trees to unauthorised cutting. Those villagers not more actively participating supply the camp with food and drinks.

The spread of the mine has at least been halted for now. But constant vigilance is necessary!