Article

Rio Tinto Occupied

in solidarity with West Papua

Direct actions in solidarity with the indigenous people of West Papua took place around the UK on the 4th October. An area almost the size of England is to be destroyed by a giant infrastructure project in the Mamberamo region. A large dam flooding an area the size of Holland will spearhead logging, monoculture plantations, mining and heavy industry in the surrounding area. The 9,000-strong indigenous population of the area to be flooded, including at least 14 uncontacted tribes, are to be forcibly removed.

Activists from across the South West occupied both offices of Rio Tinto in Bristol in solidarity with the Free Papua Movement (OPM). Rio Tinto is the largest mining company in the world, supporting oppressive regimes across the world in return for military protection of their profitable operations. In West Papua, together with the brutal Indonesian military they have inflicted massive environmental devastation and human suffering. However in the face of corporate and state violence the people of West Papua have fought back. The aims of the action in Bristol were to disrupt the business of the company, to expose their abuses and show solidarity with the OPM, and take action with activists from other areas. It was successful on all counts.

Just before 9am 12 suited activists walked past security (busy dealing with diversionary "drunks" )and occupied the Mining and Exploration offices on the 7th floor. Police arrived very quickly in 5 cars and 3 vans, trashing a door and office equipment while clearing activists out. After an hour people left with no arrests to join the picket outside. Police confiscated a D-lock from one occupier and banners after a banner drop from a nearby footbridge. After a break for lunch and getting the D-lock back from the cop shop, the well-dressed rabble visited the second offices (central registration) for more of the same. The D-lock was put to good use as two women locked on to each other and a filing cabinet. In another office files were well shuffled, and next door a man barricaded himself in and got down to some useful office work. Three were arrested and held overnight for Breach of the Peace. All the time outside leaflets were given out and the building transformed with banners. People involved felt very positive about the first regional action in the South West, with lots of useful lessons and good experience of working together. The SWARM ( South West Active Resistance Movement ) is alive.

An Arco Infiltration The oil giant ARCO are involved in the exploration and development of Benoui Bay off West Papua and give economic and political support to the murderous Indonesian regime. On October 4th their offices in Guilford were invaded by a dozen besuited Brighton people who went almost totally unnoticed by staff for up to half an hour. During this time they walked around the finance department, reading and re-organising files, losing keys to locked filing cabinets, having creative fun with computers and distributing hundreds of flyers into files, handbags and outgoing mail.

When people eventually left, the fire alarm to the three floored building mysteriously went off. Two people were chased by security for a mile across town before making a cheeky getaway in a taxicab. The workers had the chance to wonder what the fuck was going on for an hour on full wages; the company lost hundreds of worker hours and they'll be discovering our flyers for years to come!

For up to date news from West Papua get on the OPM SG e-mail news list or check out the web page @ http://www.eco-action.org/opm/ UK contacts include: S London C/o PO Box 9384, Brixton, London, SW9 7ZB, S.East & General Information OPM SG,43 Gardner Street, Brighton, E.Sussex, BN1 1UN, North c/o Manchester Earth First!, Dept 29, 255 Wilmslow Road,Manchester,M14 5LW mancef@nematode.freeserve.co.uk, South-West c/o Kebele, 14 Robertson Road, Bristol, BS5 6JY email: kebele@marsbard.com

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