United Nations: Australian Aboriginal children seized, 'green energy' impacts worsen for Saami

Systematic racism in Australia means that Aboriginal children are being seized from their families, children that are later the victims of a system that results in high rates of child incarceration in Australia's prisons, a representative told the U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples this morning. Screenshot by Censored News.

United Nations: Australian Aboriginal children seized, 'green energy' impacts worsen for Saami 

Brenda Norrell, Censored News, July 9, 2024

GENEVA -- Australian Aboriginal children continue to be seized from their families by the government, and the situation for Saami in Norway is worsening because of 'green energy' projects, Indigenous representatives told the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples today.

Both Norway and Australia had country engagements with the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples during the past year, but Australian Aboriginal and Saami representatives said today that conditions are not improving.

Urgent Plea from Guatemala

Norway's Largest Bank Pulled Assets Out of Dakota Access Pipeline

Indigenous Sami at Standing Rock worked together with the camp's legal team Water Protectors Legal Collective to expose the human rights abuses by militarized police, and threat to the water. Photo copyright Jeff Chad.

DNB Dumps Dakota Access Pipeline

By Brenda Norrell

Censored News

WASHINGTON, DC -- The largest bank in Norway, DNB, has sold its assets in Dakota Access Pipeline. Indigenous Sami worked together with the Water Protectors Legal Collective in Standing Rock Camp to document the human rights abuses by militarized police and the threat of the underground crude oil pipeline to the Missouri River water.http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/11/sami-people-and-standing-rock-camp.html

Greenpeace said Thursday this decision was the result of 120,000 signatures from Greenpeace Norway and others to DNB, urging the bank and other financial institutions to pull finances from the project.

Greenpeace said:

The largest bank in Norway, DNB, has announced that it has sold its assets in the Dakota Access pipeline. The news follows the delivery of 120,000 signatures from Greenpeace Norway and others to DNB urging the bank and other financial institutions to pull finances for the project. DNB [www.democracynow.org/2016/11/8/headlines/norwegian_bank_dnb_considering_cutting_funding_of_dakota_access_pipeline]recently indicated that it is reconsidering the loan it provided, which amounts to 10 percent of the total funding.

In response to the news, Greenpeace Norway Sustainable Finance Campaigner Martin Norman said: 
“It is great that DNB has sold its assets in the disputed pipeline, and it is a clear signal that it is important that people speak out when injustice is committed. We now expect DNB to also terminate its loans for the project immediately.” 
“There should be a clause in the lending agreement that deals with human rights violations, and DNB should use it to get its money back and end all involvement in the Dakota Access pipeline. If they don’t have such a clause they must accept they have a bad contract and take the loss.” 
Greenpeace USA spokesperson Lilian Molina said: 
“The writing's on the wall for the Dakota Access pipeline. People power is winning. The news that DNB has sold its assets and is considering terminating its loans is a victory for the water protectors who are fighting to stop this disaster of a project. All financial institutions with a stake in the pipeline must quickly realize that financing this project is toxic. It would be smart for them to get out ahead of the growing movement of customers looking to divest from banks that finance the destruction of our planet and ignore Indigenous rights and sovereignty. Citigroup, TD Securities, Wells Fargo, SunTrust, and the other banks backing this project should see this as a sign to get on the right side of history.”