Chevron’s Dirty hand in Ecuador

This past Saturday February 1st, the Two Row Society hosted a meeting to learn about the pollution that Chevron has left in Ecuador and the serious impact this has had on the health of indigenous peoples and peasants living in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Participants also heard about the legal fight that 30,000 indigenous people in the South American country are currently pursuing against the giant oil corporation.

At end of the meeting attendees stamped their handprint on a white cloth as a symbol the contamination left by the oil company in Ecuador and a sign of rejection of the company’s dirty hand. “They should be accountable for the damage and pollution they have caused,” said Donna Powless, a member of the Six Nations community.

In December of 2013 the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled that Ecuadorian indigenous communities have the right to access Chevron’s assets in Canada in order to enforce the US$9.5 billion judgment against Chevron to indemnify and compensate the victims and survivors of the contamination left in Ecuador by the corporation. “If this judgment can be collected in Canada, it will create a precedent for future similar actions against the criminal acts of corporations,” said Santiago Escobar, an organizer with the campaign.

The gathering ended with attendees sending video messages and pictures in solidarity to those affected in Ecuador and calling upon the oil corporation to take responsibility and clean up the contamination it left in Ecuador.