from Bajo Palabra translated by Earth First! Journal The mining complex named “Los Filos-Bermejal” belonging to the Canadian company Gold Corp and in operation since 2007, directly and indirectly employs people from the communities of Carrizalillo and Mezcala. At the same time, mining has sparked a war between the drug cartels who charge extortion “floor use” fees. For almost all the local people, the mining activity has been a source of income, from working there or because they rent out their lands. This makes it so that they do not want to abandon their towns. Over ten murders have been linked to the mine since 2014. In September of 2015, a group of 100 armed and hooded men broke into the community, shooting and screaming that Carrizalillo belongs to them. Two people died there, including one mine worker. “They said that this is a rich town and because of that they started charging even the stores for floor use,” the city commissioner, Nelson Figueroa, recalls. Then, in March 2015, they kidnapped three mine workers, asking for ransom. “Gold Corp denied the facts and made no gesture to help; a few days later the miners were found dead in a ravine,” […]
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