By Harry Hutchinson, member, Labour Party Northern Ireland
Over a dozen anti-mining groups, based in the communities in NI have established themselves as a movement to stop mining corporations from mining gold in the Sperrin mountains. It has been a movement years in the making, and from the bottom up.
The anti-mining groups marched from Greencastle, the site of the planned mining facility in the West of Northern Ireland, all the way – sixty miles – to the Stormont Parliament building. Carrying the banner, “37,494”, being the number of people who signed objection letters to stop gold mining in NI. Hundreds more assembled near the gates of Stormont to march the last mile to Parliament buildings. The anti-mining campaign is supported by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Not one of the Member of the Legislative Assembly from the main parties attended the Stormont rally, despite being notified of the gathering in advance. Only the independent socialist group People Before Profit, who have one representative at Stormont, joined the march.
Site earmarked for mine is permanently occupied by protesters
The pro-capitalist unionist and nationalist parties are working closely at Stormont with the mining corporations, to force through the plans to build the mining plant at Greencastle. The area earmarked for the mining plant has been occupied by mining protesters now for over 1,200 days, in a camp called the GPO.
Opposition to gold mining has being challenged at local government by elected anti-mining councillors, where District Councils have attempted to pass planning at local level. Dalradian, the Canadian company seeking planning permission for the mining facility, has already been forced to withdraw the use of cyanide in the processing of gold from their planning application. Protesters have also been subjected to police harassment, resulting in protests at PSNI stations in Omagh, a town close to the planned mining facility.
The next stage of the anti-mining campaign is going South, to the Dail in Dublin, in August. If mining gets a foothold in the North, there will be areas South of the border, in Counties Cavan and Longford that will be targeted next for mining. The movement has support from similar groups in the South, so the battle against the mining corporations is on an all-Ireland basis.
