Indigenous Leaders and Activists protest JPMorgan Chase meetings with Brazil’s Environmental Minister in New York
MEDIA ADVISORY
March 9th, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indigenous Leaders and Activists protest JPMorgan Chase meetings with Brazil’s Environmental Minister in New York
A number of nonprofit organizations, indigenous leaders, climate justice and political activists will host demonstration in protest of the secret meeting with JPMorgan Chase, a major financier of Amazon deforestation
MEDIA ADVISORY
March 9th, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Christine (Rainforest Foundation) - christineh@rffny.org - Phone: +1 (646) 265-0342
Natalia (Defend Democracy in Brazil Committee New York) - defenddemocracyinbrazil@gmail.com - Phone: +1 (917) 449-0022
What: A public demonstration - OUR FORESTS, OUR FUTURE: Stop JPMorgan Chase’s destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil
When: Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, 5:30 pm - 7 pm ET
Where: JPMorgan Chase Headquarters (383 Madison Ave, NYC)
Who: Indigenous leaders from Brazil and beyond, APIB (the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil), groups from the #CancelBolsonaro coalition, including the Defend Democracy in Brazil Committee NY, Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir, Extinction Rebellion NYC, Rise and Resist, performance artists, environmental and indigenous rights organizations, including Greenpeace, Amazon Watch, the Rainforest Foundation and more.
For Interviews: Indigenous leaders and members of the coalition will be available for interviews during and after the protest.
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Background: Bolsonaro's Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles is in the US on an unclear agenda. Mandated to disclose his official commitments under the Brazilian Law, only some details of his meetings are being released to the public, often after the fact, demonstrating a lack of transparency and what seems to be an attempt to discourage any media coverage. Authorized by Bolsonaro last week, his visit will include meetings with investors, such as JP Morgan Chase, one of the Dirty Dozen companies driving deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, and the Council of the Americas, in New York and in Washington DC.
On March 9, Salles posted on his twitter account images at a lunch with investors and the head of the Council of the Americas, “to clarify environmental and economic issues in Brazil, and help attract investments and facilitate partnerships.” The Defend Democracy Brazil Committee in New York was immediately blocked by Salles from his official Twitter account, after the group questioned his lack of transparency and use of public money under a “hidden agenda”. After blocking the group, the site of the Ministry quickly updated his Monday agenda, including only two morning meetings with incorrect information. (it has since been updated)
At JP Morgan Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, March 10, several activist groups, many from the known #cancelBolsonaro coalition, with indigenous leaders and NGOs, hope to expose the conflict of interest of being a Minister that should protect the environment and the groups living and protecting the Amazon Rainforest, to meeting with investors that have a track record of destruction of the environment.
Salles’ public agenda says that he has “No official commitments” on Tuesday. The protesters say: “The minimum we can try and do whether they meet or not, is to shame both JP Morgan as well as Minister Salles, for trying to deceive the public in this time of Climate Emergency and with such escalating violence against Indigenous communities in Brazil and around the world. They are the real guardians of the forest and the corporations and public officials’ greed continues to threaten their existence”.
On Friday, March 13, the Council of the Americas office in Washington DC is inviting people “to a private, off-the record roundtable discussion featuring the Brazilian Minister of Environment Dr. Ricardo Salles”. Meanwhile, his own public agenda states “No official events”, on the Ministry’s website.
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For more information read:
about Bolsonaro's plan to build a 'business model' for the Amazon that violates the rights of indigenous communities and destroys the environment.
In 2019, the year the forest burned and deforestation increased by 30%, Brazil’s federal environment agency gave out a record low number of fines since 1995, for breaking conservation laws.
The Ricardo Salles Fakebook, released by Observatório do Clima (Climate Observatory) in December 2019, exposes almost 30 distorted data and lies which Salles uses to claim sustainability under hi management.
Bolsonaro is attempting to open indigenous lands for mining and to make illegal mining on indigenous land legal through a bill (PL191), which would also allow for increased agribusiness and dam building. The bill would essentially authorize the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest and allow for further killings of Indigenous peoples. Bolsonaro's sustained attack against Indigenous people, environment activists, campesinos and NGOs (especially in the Amazon region) has contributed to an increase in killings and violent repression in Brazil.
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