Anastasiadou 1 The emergence of the anti – gold mining Movement in Skouries against the “Hellas Gold S.A.” and the media’s approach Student: Natalia Anastasiadou Student Number: 50039 Email: [email protected] Professor: Sophia Kaitatzi – Whitlock Institution: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Department of Journalism and Mass Communications MA in Digital Media, Communication and Journalism Pathway: Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism Date: 9th of January 2019 Anastasiadou 2 Contents Abstract 8 Introduction 9 1. Methodology 12 1.1. Theoretical Framework 15 2. The importance of the Area of Chalkidiki and its mining history 25 2.1. Location 25 2.2. Record of Mining Activity in Chalkidiki 27 2.2.1. Early History of the Mining Activity 27 2.2.2. Modern Times – 20th Century 28 2.2.3. Multinational Corporation Era 32 2.2.3.1. TVX Gold Inc., 1995 – 2003 32 2.2.3.2. Hellas Gold S.A., since 2003 34 3. Community Mobilisation in the Area 47 3.1. Mobilisation during the ―TVX Gold Inc.‖ Period, 1995 – 2003 48 3.2. Mobilisation during the ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ period, since 2003 50 3.2.1. Early action in the period 2006 – 2011 51 3.2.2. Peak of action 53 3.2.3. Action in 2015 59 3.2.4. Action in 2016 61 3.2.5. Action in 2017 62 3.2.6. Action in Early 2018 63 Anastasiadou 3 4. Interview Analysis of the anti-gold mining movement members and others implicated 66 4.1. Argumentation by the anti-gold mining Movement and counter-argumentation 69 4.1.1. Arguments on the political issues 69 4.1.2. Arguments on the ecological issues - Risk of the mining activity on the environment and people's health 72 4.1.2.1. Water 73 4.1.2.2. Atmosphere 74 4.1.2.3. Soil 76 4.1.2.4. Public health 77 4.1.3. Arguments on social issues 80 4.1.4. Arguments on financial issues 82 4.2. Stances of the ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ and the State towards the anti-gold mining Movement 84 4.2.1. Legal aspect of the State towards the Movement 84 4.2.2. Police suppression towards the Movement 87 4.3. Media's stance towards the anti-gold Movement and ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ 89 4.4. Further observations 92 5. The role of the media‘s framing and reporting the discourse on the anti – gold mining Movement 94 5.1. The ―invisible‖ Protest Rally stration on November 24, 2012 in Thessaloniki 98 5.1.1. The calls for attendance 98 5.1.2. ―The forest's funeral attended by 10,000 people, 24/11/2012‖ posted on ―Antigold‖ 103 Anastasiadou 4 5.1.3. The ―Grand march in Thessaloniki‖ posted on ―Soshalkidiki‖ 105 5.1.3.1. Embedded video ―Delivery of resolution against the gold mines‖ on You Tube 107 5.1.4. ―The invisible protest of thousands of citizens – Thessaloniki 24th of November‖ posted on ―Pitsirikos‖ 109 5.1.5. ―68 seconds of the protest on the ―Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation‖ (ERT) 112 5.2. The arson of the company's construction site on February 17, 2013 113 5.2.1. ―Attack of 50 masked people to the construction site of ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ in ―SKAI‖ 113 5.2.2. ―How did the arsonists of the mines in Skouries act‖ in ―Kathimerini‖ 114 5.2.3. ―Incendiary attack of masked people at the gold mines in Skouries‖ in ―To Vima‖ 116 5.2.4. ―Update: The video of the attack in Skouries: The arson in the ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ facilities‖ in ―LIFO‖ 119 5.2.5. The view of media representing the movement against the gold mining activity in Chalkidiki : ―The construction site in Skouries in flames‖ in ―Antigold Greece‖ 121 5.2.6. ―No one ―taken hostage‖ during the incendiary attack against ―Hellas Gold‖ in ―Antigold Greece‖ 122 5.2.7. ―Attack of free citizens to the construction site of ―Hellas Gold‖ in ―Pitsirikos‖ 122 5.3. Comment on the role of media 123 Anastasiadou 5 6. Conclusions 125 6.1. Limitation 132 6.2. Future suggestions 132 Bibliography 134 Appendix 157 App.1. Interview Transcripts 158 Interview with the Aristotle Municipality Mayor, Georgios Zoumbas 158 Interview with the Ecologist Greens, Odysseas Hilitidis and Xenofon Zisis 166 Interview with the members of Megali Panagia Struggle Committee 177 Interview with the ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ Deputy Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Konstantinos Rigopoulos 201 App.2. Visual content 211 Anastasiadou 6 List of Policy actors and Stakeholders implicated Policy Actors Aktor S.A. Arbitration Panel consisting of the Honorary Vice-president of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court (Areios Pagos), Georgios Chrysikos, the former Vice-president of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court, Vasileios Lykoudis and the Honorary President of the Council of State, Konstantinos Menoudakos Christos Pahtas, former Deputy Minister of Finance in the PA.SO.K. Government (1996-2004) Collectives and committees in solidarity to the anti – gold mining struggle in Thessaloniki and Greece Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Eldorado Gold Ellaktor S.A. European Commission (EC) European Goldfields Ltd. Greek Council of State (GCS) Hellas Gold S.A. Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Struggle committees of Chalkidiki TVX Gold TVX Hellas Stakeholders The Movement, whose members are active local citizens in Chalkidiki and people in solidarity to its cause Greek citizens (local citizens in Chalkidiki and the Greek public in general) Greek State Hellas Gold S.A. Interviewees Georgios Zoumbas, Mayor of the Aristotle Municipality Konstantinos Rigopoulos, Deputy Corporate Social Responsibility Manager of ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ Megali Panagia Struggle Committee Odysseas Hilitidis and Xenofon Zisis, representatives of ―Ecologist Greens‖ of Greece (Oikologoi Prasinoi, henceforth OP) Anastasiadou 7 List of mainstream and other media used in Chapter 5 Mainstream Media Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), broadcast: ―Proini Enimerosi‖ ―Kathimerini‖ website ―LIFO‖ website ―Skai‖ website ―To Vima‖ website Other media ―Antigold Greece‖ website ―Athens Indymedia‖ website ―Kinimatorama‖ website ―Pitsirikos‖ blog ―Soshalkidiki‖ Wordpress blog YouTube videos Anastasiadou 8 Abstract The scope of the present MA dissertation is to examine the emergence of a Movement against the gold mining activity in the north – eastern Chalkidiki, in Greece. More precisely, the anti – gold mining Movement formed by local residents and people in solidarity throughout Greece opposes the gold mining operations of the current company in charge on the field, namely ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖, the Greek subsidiary of the Canadian ―Eldorado Gold‖ corporation. Literature review has been used to compose a record of the mining activity, as well as of the most significant events of the Movement‘s existence so far. For the purpose of the research four in – depth interviews have been conducted with members of the Megali Panagia Struggle Committee which belongs to the anti – gold mining Movement, the current Mayor of the Aristotle Municipality of Chalkidiki, two members of the Ecologist Greens (Oikologoi Prasinoi), Odysseas Hilitidis and Xenofon Zisis, and the ―Hellas Gold S.A.‖ Deputy Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Konstantinos Rigopoulos. The findings of the interviews constitute a combination of content and pro et contra analysis. Moreover, the content of mainstream and less acknowledged digital media, as articles posted on blogs and websites, was analyzed with the use of content analysis. Of course, in the dissertation the discussion of the findings from the interview and media analysis is done under the lens of theoretical concepts, the most important of which are public goods, risk, environmentalism, sustainable development, social movements, agenda setting and framing. Finally, although investigation of environmental movements is not a novel research field, the present study attempts to contribute to the already existing relevant literature providing an interesting insight on a currently active movement in Greece whose actions have encountered retribution measures on behalf of the Greek State along with the corporation. Anastasiadou 9 Introduction The study of the current dissertation focuses on the rise of the case of the Kassandra mines in Chalkidiki, where “Hellas Gold S.A.”, the subsidiary of the Canadian “Eldorado Gold” corporation, has developed its mining activities. Ever since the company initiated its activity, it has been accused of contributing to the risk of air and water pollution, as well as of threatening public health. The key element of the study shall be the emergence of a social and more specifically, an active environmental movement evolved recently in Greece claiming people‘s right to a pollution- free environment and to public health against the state‘s policies in support of the mentioned corporate interests. For a structured presentation of its content, the current dissertation is divided into different sections. The ―Methodology‖ section explains the approaches used for the management and process of the literature gathered and the interviews' content I collected. The ―Theoretical Framework‖ follows, which provides a few key concepts useful for the interpretation of the literature and the interview findings. The next section titled ―Location and Record‖ is divided into the sub-section ―Location‖ which presents information on the geographical location of Chalkidiki and its geomorphological features, while the second one is titled ―Record of Mining Activity in Chalkidiki‖. This section is further divided into three other units, namely, the ―Early History of the Mining Activity‖, the ―Modern Times – 20th Century‖, and the ―Multinational Corporation Era‖. The last one, the ―Multinational Corporation Era‖, is composed by two units respecting the names of the two main multinational corporations that have acted on the field; “TVX Gold Inc.” and “Hellas Gold S.A.”. To provide a historical and more thorough insight into the gold mining activity in the Kassandra mines, in this section I have composed a historical record of the mining activity originating chronologically from the early antiquity up to date.