Argentina

“She would always arrive, no matter what. I remember once we had an event here and we told her. She had no way to come all the way here or anything but she appeared walking. She appeared walking, and came here to stay with us, to accompany us. And we even laughed at her because, we told her Tina. We laughed because what she looked crazy, but also sure of herself.” Activist friend of Cristina Lincopan, Argentina

“We decided to make a mobilization. Go to the company and ask what type of well or what they were doing. We wanted to know what they were doing. The company came here and offered us 13,000 pesos for us to be quiet, we couldn’t know anything that they made, what kind of well, what kind of chemicals they used. We said no, that we are not going to accept money. It was our life in exchange, it was our life that was at stake, not 13,000 pesos. We were not going to accept it.” – Cristina Lincopan, Argentina

Cristina Lincopan, Longo Mapuche from the community of Gelay Ko died of cardiac arrest as a consequence of the deterioration of her respiratory system caused by contamination from the oil industries in her region.

“Around 100 police officers were mobilized while we were just 10 people here, something totally disproportionate and out of any context. When they arrived at the place, they began to tell us that we were usurping this space. That if the land was ours, we had to present the documentation to prove we owned the land. We are not usurpers of this place. It is a problem of the state that we do not have documentation. They have always denied our rights to this place, but we always lived here.” – Indigenous activist, Argentina

“We told them no, that they would not be able to enter, we were with our children, they took us by surprise, there were few of us.” – Indigenous activist, Argentina

“Lower your weapons! Here we are all unarmed, we are claiming our rights, nothing more! Lower your weapons! Tell the government to come, to see its people, that we have rights here!” – Indigenous activist to police, Argentina

“We have been fighting since 2012 against the extractivism which is done in the area of farms. The poisoning of the valley and the extermination of the valley which is being done because of the fracking towers that we have here. This is the destruction, the sacrifice of fruit farming and the poisoning of all the population of the city of Allen. Allen has been declared city of sacrifice.”  -Resident, Allen, Argentina

“Allen is a location of Rio Negro, Argentina. Its located 20kms from Neuquen, 500kms from Viedma. Its main activity is fruit farming being the biggest exporter of pears in the country. In 2013 they want to install in the area fracking pits, gas and oil extraction method by hydraulic fracture these pits would be installed on the land of fruit trees” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“We don’t want more looting, the valley was made to produce food, to produce apples, pears.  The issue is of pollution, the issue is of water. In 2013 Allen was declared a fracking free zone. Three months later the superior court of justice in Rio Negro, repealed the ordinance and they installed more than 150 fracking pits. The township cannot legislate on any of the two subjects, on environmental matters, or on the subject of oil and gas. Do you believe that the failure of the superior court of justice is fair?” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“A municipal law voted by the civil servants who were elected by the people is erased from the map by a judiciary defending corporations that carry out this type of extractive practices not only in Rio Negro but throughout the national territory.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“The governor Alberto Weretilneck met with the president of the YPF oil company. Many lies were told that hold up to this day. One, it was denied that the hydraulic fracture technique was used. Then he says the fracking wells are far from the population. Finally he claims that they can coexist, fracking and fruit growing.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“More than anything in the history of the city is its land,and the fruit, for many years the city of Allen has been producing apple and pear and I think it’s going to put an end to the work of many people here and that the produce of the earth will be ruined” – Resident, Allen, Argentina

“At least I live from what fruit is growing. I work in a barn and today the sheds are closing. In fact, I lost my job this year because there is no fruit, the fruit is very little and there are few sheds that work today.” –Worker, Allen Argentina

“The water comes out yellowish. The smell in the morning is horrible. It is only happening now since the fracking began, it didn’t happen before”  Gisella – City of Allen, Argentina

 “It’s in the ground, in the air itself and the drinking water from the tap, that is supposedly drinkable. At two in the afternoon you get a colour in the water, in the afternoon it turns another colour, and in the morning it’s full of chlorine. You don’t know whether to drink the water or not” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“Between the national government and the provincial governments such as Chaco and Neuquen, they are absolutely coordinated and absolutely agreed on their policies so the abuse of power that exists against the indigenous communities, against their territory, is the product of a policy absolutely agreed between the Nation – Province. The program of exploitation using fracking or fracking technology is something that will not happen without mobilization by the people. And in that sense, the response that the state has given to the questions raised by the communities affected by this technology has been to prosecute. To do violent evictions, and to attempt convictions.”- Activist Jorge Nahuel

“The people living downtown are drinking bottled water from a very long time ago. And the people who live in the farms had to start buying water now. It’s a shame we can’t drink water from the tap.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“ The Massachusetts Medical Society studied the chemicals that are used to extract hydrocarbons from cracks. More than half those chemicals cause brain damage, and damage the central nervous system. Carcinogenic elements linked to leukemia. Hormonal disruptors that cause sperm malformation. They also detected radioactive emissions. Forty percent increase of premature births. Malformations, contamination of water, air and soil.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“The production of apples and pears today smells like gas and other toxic chemicals. The smell is coming strongly, not only from the river drain but from the sewage zone that comes to this area and flows to The Black River. Now we can also add the burning of toxic waste that the oil company burns at night. You see smoke up there when there is no wind, the smoke is noticeable, and that hurts you when you breathe.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“In 2018 the Eartworks organisation toured Allen with a special camera to measure emissions from twenty of the polluting gasses. Methane,benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene and xyleneamong other volatile organic compounds. Among the associated health problems are sperm abnormalities, lower fetal growth, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory pathologies.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“Allens oil dump is located 5km from the city. In there they accumulate: Cutting, drilling mud, flowback: water with chemicals that the industry likes to call “industrial water”. Water with chemicals, sand and mud is poured into clay pits. This waste, in addition to chemicals, they bring substances lodged underground such as radioactive materials or heavy metals. With the wind this waste returns to the city of Allen and affects the airways of the population.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“It is a displacement of the traditional economy which is a food producer, for an economy that has no future  because we are extracting oil and gas that will last a few years and when the resource is over companies will leave and the few work positions. The little economic movement ends.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“We are subjected to constant pollution, permanent, 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. In here we have already endured eight years of pure pollution and a benefit for the people has never been seen. The only thing that has been seen, as I already told you, is the progress of everyone’s pain.” – Resident, Allen Argentina

“ Hello my name is Fernanda Herrera, I’m from Mendoza, Argentina. I became an environmental activist about a year ago. I was one of the people who created the Extinction Rebellion group in our province and I have been indicted with criminal charges for taking part in a legal demonstration against fracking. I want to make this message so our situation can be heard, asking for help because environmental activists here are being persecuted, we are being indicted with criminal charges. It’s not just been an indictment for me but also fines that are extremely costly and impossible for people to pay. All I ask is that you share this message so it can reach everyone. So it is known that the big centres of power which are negotiating with governments here with the national and provincial governments, together with foreign multinationals are not only destroying our country but also turning our province into a sacrifice zone.

We want to have a healthy life, we need to breathe clean air, we need to drink clean water.  We want to continue this fight … we really just want all of this to stop. I appeal to the consciousness of whoever may watch this, and who can convey this message so it’s not just staying in a video, please help us spread this fight which is an important one, because we are confronting huge interests and huge monsters, so I ask for help”  – Fernanda Herrera, Mendoza Argentina

Argentina – “To put it shortly, I was not an activist. But then fracking came and started destroying everything and as soon as I understood the global implications I’ve been bringing it down. That’s why I had to leave my home country because of persecution and threats and I’m still fighting this fight because it’s important.”

“My name is Juan Carlos Ponce. I am member of  The Comahues Permanent Peoples Assembly in Allen. What you can see behind us is all that we have left. Its all that we have left from this extractive plunder as our town was turned into a sacrifice zone. All of this town was turned into na sacrifice zone. They came and destroyed the productive matrix we had for over 100 years. We were the region of pear and apple production. Thats all we needed to make a living from. Then the foreign corporations arrived which can’t do this damn fracking in their own countries and they started doing it here in Allen turning us into a sacrifice zone together with all the corrupt politician. Ladies and gentlemen you are seeing this, this is all that we have left of Allen. I don’t know of another town that exists which may have the number of children with leukemia that we have. Our Children are dying and Europe is responsible. Because of the companies from your countries. Please think if you would allow your children to be killed by the companies of your own country! This is shameful. In this farm from Expofruit that has been cut down. A lot of people used to work here – lots of people and now they are in these barrios because they had to move, because there is no work. In truth, is this is a genocide. We want you to know, that in Allen we are way above the national average of children with leukemia, who are dying. The companies that supply your gas should put in their bills the pictures of the children that are dying so that this gas can be consumed from Vaca Muerta.

 YOU NEED TO STOP THIS! THIS CANNOT GO ON! THIS CANNOT GO ON! THEY ARE KILLING US!

Nobody likes being killed so we are asking you:

PLEASE STOP THIS DAMN FRACKING! DO NOT CONSUME GAS OR OIL COMING FROM VACA MUERTA!

Thank you very much and I hope this reaches your heart” – Juan Carlos Ponce, Resident, Allen Argentina