Poland: Actions Against Wetland Destruction

Anarchists, environmentalists, some NGOs and just plain citizens have been involved lately in stepping up the protest against the destruction of the Rospuda Valley Wetlands in Poland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rospuda_River
http://www.bankwatch.org/project.shtml?apc=147584--r--3&x=1912235&d=g
The battle has been going on for some time. The government plans to build the Agustow Bypass, part of the Via Baltica highway, though these wetlands, despite the fact that there is a proposed alternative route. Recently, the decision to start people was signed by government bureaucrats, which means that the bulldozers can come at any moment. We suppose they are only waiting for the snow to thaw to start this work.

In response, a camp has been set up on the sight. So far there are some members of Greenpeace and other ecological organizations and some anarchists there. They are camping in rather rough conditions (you can see what the weather is like:
http://www.greenpeace.org/poland/multimedia/slajdy/dolina-rospudy-oboz?page=1 ). We suppose that when it gets a little warmer next week, a larger group of people will go, including a large anarchist delegation.

In Warsaw, ordinary citizens started a daily action at the Ministry of the Environment which is growing in number. Anarchists from FA Praga and the Praga Bicylist Group, supported also by Green Mazovia, have started some protests at the Budimex headquarters: Budimex is the company which is to start building in the Rospuda Valley.

At yesterday's picket, anarchists pointed out the political and economic aspects of the decision to build in the valley, not only the environmental impact. It was also pointed out that while Budimex firm and some politicians who invested in the land along the highway route will profit, Poland will probably get a fine imposed by the European Union for destroying an area protected by Nature 2000 and that normal citizens will have to suffer because their tax money will be wasted to pay that fine. Complaints about how tax money is misused and wasted were of interest to the Tax Inspectorate which by some strange coincidence shares a building with Budimex.

Today the pickets will continue, at the Ministry and Budimex and soon the radical direct actions will start. On Sunday there is a national day of protest.

The protest is supported by a large group of people in society, even though most don't come out to protest; a huge amount have signed protest letters though. There is a lot of support from unexpected quarters as well, for example yesterday the Lech Poznan football team also lent support to the protest.

People from abroad can also send protests: there are lots of letters to be found on the Internet: it's enough to start a google search and you can find them. You can also check the web pages of NGOs like BankWatch or Greenpeace for updated information.
Source:infoshop.org