Another "grain of sand"
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
Date: Aug 15, 2006 3:13 PM
Someone on the delegation pointed out how frequently in the communities in the Guajira we heard the expression "to add a grain of sand" to the struggle--referring to the small contributions each of us and our organizations can make.
So another grain of sand came my way today: 3 articles in Jyllands-Posten, the largest Danish newspaper. I'd been in touch with the journalist, Kenneth Lund, over the last few months, and the articles finally came out while we were in Colombia. I don't read much Danish, but I'll quote to you from the letter Kenneth sent along with copies of the papers:
"The articles were published in the largest Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, on the 30th of July and had some "follow-ups" the following days.
"The story made the front page with the headline "Import af kul fra blodige miner"--meaning "coal import from bloody mines."
"The story continues in the special Sunday supplement "Indsigt" ("Insight") on page 1 and 2. Here we tell the "big story" about how the three union leaders were killed in 2001 and how the Cerrejon mine has been linked to both the demolition of the Tabaco village and the massacre of the Wayuu people.
"The article "Danskerne ma indse, at de slar os ihjel" ("The Danes must realize that they arekilling us") is an interview with Francisco Ramirez Cuellar.
"Finally, the article "Kontrollen var ikke god nok" ("The control hasn't been good enough") is an interview with Peter Arnfeldt, the manager of Corporate Social Responsibility in DONG ENERGY--the company that buys the coal. He admits that the company hasn't been aware of the accusations against the Colombian mines and he promises to get in contact with the mines."
If one of our goals is to keep up the PR pressure on the mine, I'd say we're off to a great start!
Avi
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North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
