MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine anti pulp mill activists marches banned in Uruguay

Uruguay said “no more” to Argentines activists

Uruguay will ban Argentine activists who oppose a pulp mill in Fray Bentos, from marching or organizing concentrations so as to avoid provocations, announced Minister of Interior Daisy Tourné.

The weekend saw a mass gathering by Argentine and Uruguayan protesters in the Uruguayan town of Nueva Palmira in opposition to the construction of a pulp mill across from Argentina. The ban was made public by Interior Minister Dayse Tourné, who insisted it was taken "at the behest of the president," Tabaré Vázquez. "The people of Uruguay, especially those of Río Negro province, have shown enormous chivalry and austerity in this case. What happened on Sunday was a symptom of a state of exhaustion. Allowing another such demonstration to take place would almost be an act of provocation," the minister declared, referring to an incident on Sunday night when a group of locals stopped a car of protesters from Gualeguaychú and threatened them. "I think (in the past) we've walked down the road proving that we Uruguayans are capable of guaranteeing freedom of movement and the right to assembly within the boundaries of cohabitation that characterize us as a nation," she went on to say. Meanwhile, the group of protesters who were allegedly attacked on Sunday night has said they are considering filing charges, "possibly in the human rights area," a spokesman for the group declared yesterday. According to Jorge Fritzler of the Gualeguaychú Environmental Assembly, a group of Uruguayans "kicked our car, spat on us and insulted us at will, moments before we crossed the border, while the local police kept us waiting as if we were in no man's land." Argentine activists have been protesting the location of a Finnish pulp mill on the river Uruguay, just across from the Argentine town of Gualeguaychu since construction begun arguing it would pollute the river separating both countries. The mill with an estimated investment cost of 1.2 billion US dollars is scheduled to begin production any moment. From Helsinki Finnish pulp maker Metsa-Botnia said on Tuesday it expected authorities in Uruguay to approve all remaining permits for the Fray Bentos pulp mill shortly, and the plant to open this year. "We are in talks with the authorities and expect permits in the near future," said Marko Janhunen, Botnia spokesperson, adding: "The mill will start production still this year." Botnia was scheduled to open the plant by the end of September, but missing environmental permits have halted plans.