Residents protest gold and silver mine in Alpu, Turkey, launching signature campaign

Residents in the Alpu district of Eskişehir, Turkey, are mobilizing against the construction of a gold and silver mine and a crushing facility. The Eskişehir Ecology Association has initiated a petition drive to voice opposition to the project, which is slated to impact the Esence, Uyuzhamamköyü, and Aktepe neighborhoods. The campaign is scheduled to end on August 22nd.

Filiz Fatma Özkoç, the head of the Eskişehir Ecology Association, announced the petition drive, stating that activists will collect signatures from local residents and village headmen in the Esence region. The collected signatures will then be submitted to the Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change. Özkoç emphasized that the local population unequivocally opposes the mining project.

This opposition was evident during a public participation meeting held on July 22nd. Local residents, along with representatives from civil society organizations, democratic mass organizations, mayors, and parliament members, attended the meeting. However, the local community's strong rejection of the gold and silver mining project prevented the meeting from taking place. Reports indicate that company and ministry officials were forced to leave the site due to the residents' protests.

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The minutes stating that the meeting was not held should have been shared with the local people and those who came there.

Özkoç further criticized the authorities for not sharing the official minutes of the canceled meeting with the attendees. "The minutes stating that the meeting was not held should have been shared with the local people and those who came there," she stated. The association launched the signature campaign to raise awareness and formally register the community's dissent. They plan to present these signatures as formal objections to the ministry.

The association also intends to expand its signature collection efforts to other villages within the affected region. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 8:00 AM with village headmen and local residents to discuss the ongoing process and the next steps. The collected signatures will be submitted to the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, underscoring the community's unified stance against the proposed mining operations.

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Now we have 4 days left until the stand closes on August 22. There is already a lot of interest in the campaign. Especially the people of Eskişehir are very sensitive about this issue. We will also go to the region. We will start the same signature campaign in the region. We will get it from the villages in the same way. We will present these signatures to the authorities, to the ministry.