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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><span style="color:#1F497D">*********************</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><b><u><span
style="font-size:18.0pt;color:#1F497D">We invite
you to join us:</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><b><u><span
style="font-size:18.0pt;color:#1F497D">Continental
Day of Action Against Mega Resource Extraction
August 1, 2012
</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><b><u><span
style="font-size:18.0pt;color:#1F497D">31 St.
James Ave, Boston, MA</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><b><u><span
style="font-size:18.0pt;color:#1F497D">From
12PM to 1PM</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"
align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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style="font-size:16.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We
are heading a call from communities in the global
south that have organized and are resisting the
exploitive practices of the mega resource
extractive industry. The organizations below, in
solidarity with communities impacted by the mega
mining extractive industry throughout the Americas
call for a Continental Day of Action on August
1st, 2012 to demand an end to exploitative and
unjust mining practices.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Civil
society along with communities from Canada to
Argentina will conduct coordinated actions
including rallies, demonstrations, community radio
coverage, letter writing campaigns and other
alternative and imaginative actions of protest in
front of mining corporate offices, Canadian
embassies across the Americas, and here in Boston
we will have a small rally in front of the
Colombian Consulate.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">WHY
PROTEST?
</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">•
Corporate mining operations have deeply impacted
territories, communities, and life. Resource
exploration and exploitation activities have
caused displacement, widespread destruction of
livelihoods (compromising water and food
security), caused long- term health issues ,
disregarded sacred indigenous territories and
rights, exacerbated human rights violations
especially in contexts of internal conflict, and
contributed to the criminalization of artisanal
miners, union and environmental activists and
community activists. Large-scale mining
explorations and exploitations have also led to an
irreversible loss in biodiversity.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">•
Despite the fact that large-scale mining is
usually presented as a driving force of
sustainable development by mining companies,
governments throughout the Americas, and
international institutions such as the World Bank,
the long-term negative impacts on peoples and
territories contrast with the vague promises of
jobs, and national economic growth and
development.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">OUR
DEMANDS:
</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Divestment:
</span></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Governments
should divest public funds from resource
extraction industries. (i.e pension funds invested
in GoldCorp and other corporations) and call for
public funds to be invested in social programs
like free education, affordable housing and
universal healthcare . </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Regulation:
</span></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Governments
should enable legislation that establishes
corporate accountability standards for mining
corporations operating abroad. This legislation
should penalize corporations linked to human
rights violations and should allow foreign
nationals to pursue legal action for damages in
the courts of the country where the mining company
is from (Bills C-300 and C-323).
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Stop
Complicity:
</span></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Stop
utilizing public institutions to assist with high
profile public relations campaigns conducted by
resource extraction companies (such as the Museum
of Natural History in Ottawa, Simon Fraser
University, University of Toronto, York
University, CIDA-funded projects such as the
Devonshire initiative .
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Binding
Community Consent Mechanisms:
</span></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">That
governments and courts of the region respect and
adhere to the internationally recognized right of
free prior and informed consent for Indigenous
communities.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">People
Before Profit:
</span></b><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">End
free trade agreements and bilateral investment
treaties that enshrine the right of corporations
over citizens and communities.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">POLO DEMOCRATICO ALTERNATIVO DE COLOMBIA<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CAPITULO BOSTON<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br>
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