The Greek Federation of Unions of Doctors working in Hospitals “OENGE” put itself against the gold mining in Chalkidiki, expressing in parallel the their support to the citizens in Chalkidiki who resist.
In the last assembly of OENGE, the following decision was published:
„In the North West Chalkidiki- at 317.000 acres of public forest area which was given, in a scandalous way, to the Hellenic Gold A.C. by the Greek State. The enormous gold mining has already started. the “Hellenic Gold A.C.” is planning to mine 380 million tones of trench, (just to understand the size, from ancient times till now 33 million tones have been mined!) and to take advantage of the mineral wealth, the value of which is estimated to be over 15.5 billion Euros. For the Greek State there will be no rights and the “profit” is just some hundreds working positions and income from the taxation of the employed people and their insurance taxation.
In order to realize this “investment” which includes open pit mining at the main aquifer of the area, factory of chemical processes, etc there will be more than 2.500 acres of forest deforested. A forest of a special beauty and ecological value that cannot be estimated… Scientific surveys and studies warn us for catastrophic and irreversible damage to the ecosystem, to the atmosphere, to the health of the people of Northern Greece, to the surface or under surface water, to the ground as well as to the local economy which is up to now based on the good quality of the environment 9tourism, agriculture, honey production, etc.)
The local societies were informed and were self-organized in order to save their area and their lives. Having as “weapons” the scientific documentation and the social act, a dynamic social fight demanding the safety of the environment, of the sustainable development, of the human and working rights is taking place. This fight of the people was faced by the state and the police with extreme violence and mean suppression. There has been use of forbidden chemical substances, even inside schools, plastic balls, human hunt, arrests without reason, citizens vanishing, non adults prosecuted, violent entrances in houses, illegal and violent taking of genetic material, illegal spying (these are facts complaint by the International Amnesty and the unions of the lawyers.)
Participants in the effort of suppression of the movement, are the mass media which have undertaken the promotion of the company, the defaming of the movement and the disorientation of the movement. Today, the fight counts two temporary imprisoned fighters, two that are now out of prison after being unfair imprisoned for six months and 210 accused of invalid accuses. Between the others, they also are accused of establishing and participating in a criminal organization the goal of which is the stop of the destructive goals of Hellenic Gold A.C. Among the so called by the state “criminals” old men and pregnant women. At the same time they criminalize the fair fight of the citizens, the State keeps hidden the privileges of the “Hellenic Gold. A.C”.
It was just a few days ago that it was announced that the drinkable water is unsuitable to be consumed due to the high concentration of the arsenic, in Neohori Chalikidikis, that has been a leak of polluted waste at Rentina. Also the illegal and dangerous for the public health transfer of toxic substances through the port of Thessaloniki was revealed. The case of the mining processes in Chalkidiki is an environmental, economic, political and social scandal. O.E.N.G.E. condemns the “Hellenic Gold A.C.”.
We condemn in the strongest way possible the criminalization of the social fights, that the government is trying to establish. We condemn the use of all the suppression tactics that are used by the police. We condemn the systemic mass media that have undertaken the role of the press office of the “Hellenic Gold A.C”. All of them are playing the role of fighting against the social fights. But they are not going to stop the will of the active citizens.
“The only thing they manage to do is to prove the corruption and how weak they are.
We express our support to the citizens of Chalkidiki who are giving a great example of the values of Resistance, of Solidarity, of Humanity, of Collective work, of the Fight, to the society. They show the way to us. We thank them. We are with them”.