Colombia Solidarity Campaign

On 22 November President Santos was in London to promote British investment in Colombia. We went to the London School of Economics (LSE) to greet him, and to express our opposition to the big mining 'locomotive' and free trade agreements, given that they only bring misery and poverty.  The only ones who will benefit from foreign investment will be the multinationals and Colombian oligarchy. We also called for a full investigation of the false positives scandal (with at least 1,200 victims assassinated by the army) that occurred when Santos was Minister of Defence.

One month ago university students in Colombia launched mass, indefinite national strike to stop the proposed reform of Law 30. This 'reform' would have deepened the role of private finance and given bankers effective control over educational decisions at nominally public sector universities.

Commentators say the student movement has returned as force not seen since the 1970s.

Santos Leading Colombia towards Prosperity for All?

Colombia Solidarity Campaign London Briefing Meeting
7pm Tuesday 15 November
The Apple Tree pub, 45 Mount Pleasant, WC1 (Russell Square, Farringdon, Kings X or Angel tube)

Speakers:   Report back from delegation to Cajamarca plus briefings from Colombian guests

Friday, October 14 · 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Colombian Embassy, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1X 0LN

COLOMBIA, the second most BIODIVERSE country in the world, home to 105 INDIGENOUS CULTURES, is under theat by MINING MULTINATIONALS. Mining titles now cover 8% of national territory. London-listed ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI holds the majority of them, many in Indigenous or Afro-Colombian lands, or areas with UNIQUE or IRREPLACEABLE ECOSYSTEMS. Land is being handed over to mining companies with the blessing of the Colombian state.

BHP Billiton: Dirty Energy

Wednesday 19 October 2011, 7pm to 9pm

Room 1, Upper Corridor

Houses of Parliament

BHP Billiton is the world’s largest diversified resources company. It made record profits of $23.6 billion over the past year. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Many British workers’ pension funds, British banks and insurance companies have investments in it - but most British people have never heard of it.

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The real cost of subsidies for biofuel and biomass electricity

Tuesday, 27 September 2011 19:09 Upcoming Events

Public Meeting:

When: Tuesday, 4th October 2011, 6.30-9.30pm

Where: Lumen URC  Hall, 88 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RS (close to St Pancras Station)

Speakers:

+ Elias Mtinda, Food Rights Coordinator for ActionAid Tanzania:Impacts of biofuels, including jatropha on communities and food sovereignty in Tanzania

+ Emilia Hanna, Biofuelwatch: Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) for biomass and biofuels in the UK – Impact on power station developments and of biomass effects on forests, communities and climate

+ Kenneth Richter, Agrofuel Campaigner, Friends of the Earth: What
do ROCs for biofuels mean for communities affected by the expansion of
oil palm and jatropha plantations?

+ UK biomass burning and the growth of industrial tree plantations in the South – Speaker tbc

  – Free public event, no pre-booking required -

Background:The event will coincide with and discuss a forthcoming government consultation about subsidies – Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) – for ‘renewable electricity’, including biofuels and biomass, which have led to many biofuel and biomass power stations being proposed across the UK.   Under government plans, annual subsidies for those could top £3 billion, paid out of all our fuel bill.

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