Rifles Against Spears As Indigenous Rights Trampled
Posted on June 7, 2009
There are reports that more than 50 people have been killed in Peru’s Amazon region after the army clashed with indigenous people protesting against government plans to turn their land over to mining and energy companies. President Alan Garcia has issued a number of decrees which effectively release removing 60% of Peru’s remaining jungle for exploitation, and allowing companies to apply directly to central government for zoning permissions, bypassing the process of indigenous consultation — decrees which are in violation of the Peruvian constitution, which specifically stipulates that same consultation process must take place.
On May 27, Peru’s two largest trade union federations, the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP) and the Unitary Confederation of Workers (CUT), together with the Social and Political Coordinating Committee, held a national day of protest to “let the indigenous people of Peru know that they are not alone”.
In Lima, thousands of workers marched on Congress demanding the annulment of the decrees. In the Amazonian city of Iquitos, 11 construction workers were injured by rubber bullets and 20 arrested in clashes with police.
Roadblocks, strikes, street protests and occupations of oil company installations occurred across the country.
The protests also called for a general increase in wages and pensions, arguing “the rich should pay for the economic crisis, not the people”. They also demanded the repeal of anti-democratic measures introduced by the government that criminalise political protest.
The government’s actions constitute nothing more than a shameless and cynical land/money grab.
However, since the protests began in April, the Garcia administration has already auctioned off huge swaths of indigenous lands to mining and energy companies. Contracts for a further 15 oil concessions have been signed — the majority in the Amazon region.
Now, the government has declared the protestors are ‘plotting against democracy and the country’ and ‘falling to a criminal level’, and massacred protesters.
A local indigenous leader has stated that indigenous people are still being killed, and that the police are actually burning the dead and dumping the remains into the Marañón River [...] Early in the day the government was accused of committing genocide. Painfully, this confirms it. [...] ALERT: Massacre in Peru Police shooting Amazon Indigenous civilians – 84 people dead PLEASE TAKE ACTION! [...] The government of Peru has ordered for the National Police to attack the Amazonian Indigenous peoples. Civilians were shot from buildings roofs and helicopters.
