Hundreds of people rallied at the UK Embassy in Brasilia this Monday (6), pressuring the British to seek justice for the victims of the collapse of the Samarco Dam in Mariana (MG) on the 5th. November 2015. Anglo-Australian company BHP Billiton is one of those responsible for Samarco, along with Brazilian Vale.
A series of legal proceedings against BHP are ongoing in the British courts, so the venue for this Monday’s demonstration was chosen. The estimated compensation exceeds R$230 billion, and the trial is scheduled for October 2024.
Participants in this activity smeared their own bodies with mud to represent the effects of the dam collapse on the affected people of the Rio Dos basin. The group filed a document demanding a dialogue between the victims and the British Embassy to guarantee their rights.
A protest at the British Embassy in Brasilia / Patricia Sousa
The protest is part of a protest by members of the Dam Affected Movement (MAB) who have been mobilizing in the federal capital since last Saturday (4) to demand guarantees of public policies to protect the lives and fundamental rights of the affected people. Through dams..
“Our demand today is that the UK Embassy intercede with the victims in Brazil, so that BHP is punished as an example in its country of origin, in a court in London, next October,” said MAB National Coordination Member for Victims from the Rio dos Basin, Haider Barbosa.
The Mariana spill, which marked its eight-year anniversary last Sunday, is considered by the MAB to be the biggest environmental crime in Brazil’s history and the biggest mining crime in the world. In all, 19 people died, and thousands more were directly affected – and are still waiting for repairs today.
Editing: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
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