Vancouver, B. C. -Boycott $hell update

[Sierra Club <sierra@vcn.bc.ca>]

  Hi All. We now have weekly rallies planned to November 10, the
  third anniversary of the murders of the Ogoni Nine. Take care.
  
  As in Sea and Mountain Sentinel (Summer, 1997, p. 3)
  Newsletter of the Sierra Club Lower Mainland Group
  --------------------------------------------------
  
  $hell Boycotts Enter Ninth Month
  by Sid Tan
  
  The Ogoni Solidarity Network (OSN) continues through 
  the summer with weekly Boycott $hell rallies already 
  planned to the end of August. The campaign began 
  last October when OSN hosted Dr. Owens Wiwa, an Ogoni 
  activist and Ken Saro-Wiwa's younger brother, in 
  Vancouver for speaking engagements and group workshops.
  The first Boycott $hell rally was November 8, 1996. 
  This was followed by a vigil at the statue of the 
  Goddess of Democracy at the University of British 
  Columbia to commemorate the first anniversary of
  Ken Saro-Wiwa's death.
  
  The OSN is a grassroots group of students, environmental 
  and human rights activists and concerned individuals 
  acting locally and thinking globally. Inspired by the
  struggle of the Ogoni people of Nigeria against the 
  environmental devastation of their homeland and outraged 
  by the state-sanctioned murders of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight
  other Ogoni activists, the OSN has launched a public 
  awareness and outreach campaign. The campaign highlights 
  the role of Shell Oil in the ongoing misery of the Ogoni
  and Shell's complicity the deaths of Ken Saro-Wiwa and 
  thousands of other Ogoni.
  
  The campaign is making a difference. Shell Canada has 
  been informally in touch with the OSN to ask what it 
  would take to end the campaign. We replied that Shell 
  Canada should talk directly to the Movement for the
  Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) in Canada. The company 
  has also sent copies of its reply letters on the issue 
  to the OSN. According to Dr. Owens Wiwa, Vancouver is 
  a major centre of international support for the Ogoni 
  and opposition to the practices of Shell.
  
  On July 8, 1997, the city of Vancouver, through a 
  co-operative that includes all lower mainland 
  municipalities, decided not to renew its gas purchasing
  contract with Shell. The annual six million dollar contract 
  was awarded to Chevron. Whether the OSN's pressure on
  the city helped stop the deal with Shell is unknown. In 
  the city of North Vancouver, a resolution against Shell 
  was passed that can be tied directly to the boycott campaign.
  Sources say the city of North Vancouver was very vocal about 
  Shell not getting the contract. The work against the city deal
  also allowed the OSN to put together a selective purchasing 
  resolution that could be used in the future by other human 
  rights, social justice and environmental groups. 
  
  The OSN led the action against the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 
  for its perverse nomination of Shell Canada for a B. C. 
  Minister's Environmental Award. Much to the embarassment of
  WWF, Shell Canada did not win the award. This can be attributed 
  to pressure from the OSN and like-minded activists around the 
  world. Our urgent action against Shell Canada receiving the
  award resulted in an avalanche of letters, emails and telephone 
  calls to the WWF. The WWF 800 number received hundreds of 
  complaints. Again, the campaign against the nomination and 
  award helped to raise awareness about Shell's practice in Ogoni 
  and received significant media attention.
  
  The Ogoni Solidarity Network asks all concerned citizens who 
  have been touched by the struggle of the Ogoni for support. 
  Currently, the Lower Mainland Group (LMG) lends its office, 
  phone, fax and email to OSN activists. The LMG has produced 
  over two hours of television on the campaign, rallies and 
  Owens Wiwa lectures and interviews. Phone the LMG for 
  additional information and check our phone message for the 
  time and location of the next Boycott $hell rally.
  
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                   Sierra Club Lower Mainland Group
                        1672 East 10th Avenue
                 Vancouver, British Columbia  V5N 1X5
              Telephone: 604-873-8554  Fax: 604-872-0709
            sierra@vcn.bc.ca    http://www.sierraclub.ca/bc
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