Asterix of Bergama's Struggle against the Authorities

As the leader of a grassroots movement against the planned mining of gold reserves, Oktay Konyar has been fighting for over ten years. So far, he and his fellow activists have been able to halt the highly toxic mining practices. By Susanne Güsten

His bushy moustache is not the only reason Oktay Konyar is often compared to the comic book character, Asterix. Just like the little hero of the Gauls who fights against the Roman Empire, the 61-year-old Turkish olive grower has stood up against a seemingly invincible foe: international corporations and the Turkish government.

Despite all obstacles, Konyar is successful – just like Asterix. Until now, he and his fellow activists have been able to halt the mining of gold. But the conflict is far from over.

In the early 1990s, when the Turkish government granted permission for the Eurogold Company to mine for gold in the region of Bergama, the ancient Pergamon, many inhabitants of the area thought about jobs and economic growth. But these hopes soon turned to fear when the manner in which the precious metal was to be mined became known.

Eurogold was planning to extract the gold from the earth using a highly toxic cyanide leach. The farmers in the villages around the mine in the township of Ovacik feared for their health, for their children and for their olive trees. Five years earlier, in Romania, the mud from a cyanide gold mine had killed off all the living organisms in a nearby river.

Resistance: Looking to Gandhi

As a local left-wing politician, Konyar positioned himself at the top of the movement. He organized protest marches by the farmers, for whom demonstrations were initially an unheard-of idea. The Asterix of Bergama looked to Gandhi and to the principles of peaceful civil disobedience. His enemies at Eurogold accused him of trying to make a name for himself at the expense of the company and of trying to further his political career.

At the same time, the long battle against Eurogold began in the Turkish courts. Over the years, the farmers of Bergama became known throughout Turkey for their resistance and their effective publicity.

In Istanbul, they occupied one of the highway bridges over the Bosporus to call attention to their concerns. During many of their protest marches, the men stripped to the waist to show their naked desperation.

It soon turned out, however, that "Asterix" and his men were not just dealing with Eurogold, but also with the Turkish government. Even when the highest administrative court of appeals ruled in favor of the farmers in 1997, the gold mine did not vanish. The cabinet in Ankara, which was concerned about the trust of much-needed foreign investors, tried with all its might to halt the closing of the mine.

The conflict has international repercussions

In new experts' reports, the government obtained confirmation that the mine posed no danger to the environment. Warnings by the opponents of the gold mine about the risk of earthquakes were also brushed aside. Meanwhile, Konyar was made to feel that he was annoying the authorities. Based on the accusation of having founded an illegal organization, he was temporarily arrested.

The conflict over Bergama had international repercussions as well. At the end of 2002, the representatives of German foundations in Turkey – among them, the Adenauer and Ebert Foundations – were summoned to appear in court. The state prosecutor accused them of having incited the farmers of Bergama to protest against gold mining in order to do damage to the Turkish state. The case was quickly dismissed.

In their region, Konyar and his comrades had to fight against continued attempts to begin mining with cyanide despite all the court decisions. In 1999, for instance, the villagers protested when 18 tons of cyanide were brought to the mining area near Ovacik.

The authorities are not giving up

Following new protests, the poison was taken away again. Nevertheless, the Australian company Normandy Mining, which succeeded Eurogold in Bergama, was able to mine gold, even if not for very long. Currently, there is no work taking place in the mine.

But the legal battle over Bergama still continues. Last year, the governor of the western Turkish province of Izmir had the equipment sealed inside the mine. But at the same time, the authorities stress that the attempts to obtain permission for mining will be continued.

Three years ago, Normandy Mining merged with Newmont Mining, the world's number one mining company. And now a Turkish company is considering purchasing the mine. This interest in buying the mine is, in itself, a clear sign that from the point of view of the mining supporters, the last word in the gold mine saga has not yet been spoken.

And that is what Oktay Konyar believes as well. "They will not stop trying," he says of his enemies, "because if we win – if the people win – it will be an example for all of Turkey." So there will be new conflicts over the gold of Bergama, Konyar is sure of it. But unlike ten years ago, he doesn't have to look for compatriots any more.

There are now approximately 10,000 members of the citizens' initiative of Bergama, and, as Konyar says, they are in good spirits: "The mood among us is good. For the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic, we have achieved a victory for the people."

This Asterix of Bergama still does not trust the gold company or the state's authorities. Too often, he has seen how court decisions have been ignored. "We have posted guards at the mine," he says. "They watch the area around the clock." This is how they hope to prevent somebody from someday suddenly extracting gold again: "We are vigilant every hour of every day."

Susanne Güsten

Translated from German by Mark Rossman

Qantara.de

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