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- Paper Pulp Mills - Uruguay
- Corporate Accountability and Human Rights
- Climate Change and Human Rights
100,000 march peacefully against Uruguayan Papermills
Sunday April 30, 2006– Gualeguaychú – Exactly one year to the day from the first time nearly 50,000 local residents took to the international bridge uniting the cities of Fray Bentos Uruguay and Gualeguaychú Argentina, to protest against the installation of two controversial papermills then projected on the Uruguay River, this past Sunday, over 100,000 people peacefully marched anew on the international bridge, rejecting the construction by Botnia of Finland and soon to be ENCE of Spain, of these two mills that have frozen bilateral relations between Argentina and Uruguay.
The international bridge was the logical cite of the march which brought together folks from all walks of life, including, children, youth, elderly, and activists. There were protestors from Gualeguaychú, Fray Bentos, and other cities and regions of Argentina primarily, however, folks also attended from Chile, USA and European cities. This was surely one of the largest ecological marches ever, certainly the largest in Argentine history.
The march commenced in the city of Gualeguaychú, 34 kilometers from the bridge, at 11 am, and worked its way to the international bridge, in caravan, where at 4 pm, the national anthems of Argentina and Uruguay were sung by the crowd. Additionally a proclamation was read aloud, stating the crowd´s repudiation of the installation of the mills by ENCE of Spain and Botnia of Finland and calling to protect the sustainable economic development, life and biodiversity of the Rio Uruguay basin. The crowd covered the extent of the Argentine portion of the bridge and the several kilometers leading up to the bridge from the national checkpoint. In the backdrop, adjacent to the bridge, Botnia´s chimney, currently under construction, soared nearly 200 meters into the sky. Nearby, and on the other side of the bridge, one could see the movement of soil, in preparation to construct the ENCE mill.
Some 10,000 to 15,000 persons that brought up the rear of the march were unable to participate as no space was left on the road leading up to the bridge, where the march was centered.
Yesterday, the Citizens Environmental Assembly of Gualeguaychú voted to lift the road block of the international bridge that went up when Botnia chose to ignore the presidents´ request to cease construction while Argentina and Uruguay tried to resolve their dispute. Argentina will in the next few days, file a complaint against Uruguay to the International Court of Justice at the Hague, for violations to the Uruguay River Treaty due to the contamination to be caused by these mills.
More Information
For more information contact:
Jorge Daniel Taillant
Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA)
Tel. 54 3541 494 162
Cel. 54 9 351 625 3290
jdtaillant@cedha.org.ar
