activists went on trial for the occupation of CitiBank, Geneva

The protestors were among more than 50 activists who had occupied the headquarters of CitiBank last May, during a demonstration held to protest against massacres of the afro-Columbian community in Columbia by paramilitary groups. The principal function of the approximately 15,000 paramilitaries is to destroy popular organisations and unions and drive peasant, indigenous and afro-Columbian communities off lands targeted by transnationals. In a number of cases it has been proved that transnationals such as United Brands, British Petroleum or Coca-Cola have been directly involved in killings (Coca-Cola is on trial now in Florida for the assassination of its union leaders in Columbia). The activists said they had no proof that CitiBank had financed paramilitaries, but pointed out that all transnationals and foreign investors in Columbia necessarily profit from a situation in which all forms of worker and peasant organisation are ruthlessly repressed (a union person is killed every two days in Columbia and 10,000 have been declared "military objectives"). CitiBank is a major investor (largest foreign and quickest growing bank in the country) which benefits in multiple ways from this institutionalised violence. It also has close ties to the CIA (for example, Montesino the ex-security head of Peru ran his narcotrafic through CitiBank…)

The protestors refused to leave the bank unless an executive of the bank made a statement concerning the ethics of investment in such a situation, or at a minimum unless the bank condemned the impunity enjoyed by the paramilitaries (the Columbian army acts in obvious complicity with the paramilitaries). This simple question provoked five hours of hesitations and consultations between Geneva, New York and London. Finally CitiBank answered… that they would answer another time! The protestors were hauled off to jail for the night and subsequently sent fines of 400$ to 500$. They appealed these in order to have a public political trial.

The courtroom was packed and almost a hundred more people demonstrated outside the courthouse and disproportionate police lines. Apart from the accused and their lawyer, three expert witnesses were heard. Ms. Belen Torres, an exiled leader of ANUC-UR (a national peasant organisation) and M. Federico Andreu, of the International Commission of Jurists, gave extensive and moving testimony concerning the regime of terror from which the transnationals benefit in Columbia. The two Columbians confirmed the recurring "coincidences", between the terror campaigns that have driven more than 2 million Columbians off their land and various multinational projects involving agribusiness (African palm, coffee, bananas), timber and biodiversity, big dams (notably the one for which the Embera leaders have been assassinated), the transoceanic canal route and oil and mineral extraction (in particular Canadian groups such as Corona Gold Mines, Conquistador Gold Mines, etc.). Concerning oil, the case of the struggle of the Uwa against Occidental Petroleum is one case among many. Evidence read to the court also cited CitiGroup, which as a major stockholder of Chevron is involved in the oil fields of Carmen de Bolivar, a region where a paramilitary group has been regularly assassinating peasants and popular leaders. The latest victim was the regional head of the oil workers union, the USO… CitiGroup is heavily involved in destructive oil extraction world over.

Concerning the terror used against peasant leaders, Ms. Belen cited the example of her own organisation. Ten leaders a year have been assassinated for the last five years. She herself can no longer return to her country. The witness of the International Commission of Jurists cited literally terrifying statistics: on average 10 persons a day have been assassinated in Columbia since 1986 (in huge majority by the army or the paramilitary). This year there have been almost 20 dead and one "disappeared" by day. Business as usual, Mr. CitiBank?

Other evidence submitted to the court shows that CitiGroup benefits in many other ways from the institutionalised violence in Columbia:
- CitiBank has been cited by the ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) in its report on violations of trade union rights in Columbia (photographing and intimidation of union leaders, intervention of riot cops to throw union organisers out of banks…).

- CitiGroup is a major owner of General Foods, which controls the majority of the coffee market in Columbia. CitiBank was in fact instrumental in the destruction of the international coffee producers agreement - which garanteed a minimum price for coffee - and thereby made huge profits. As a result, thousands of small farmers were forced to shift to coca growing to survive… which of course was not a problem for CitiBank, since it is also deep into laundering drug money (see the Salinas, Juarez cartel, Menem and other scandals).

- Today, to impose its interests in the Andes, the United States steps up the level of the violence, with the so called "War on Drugs". And CitiGroup is a major stockholder of Boeing, General Dynamics and United Technologies, that is to say the arms trade! United Technologies, in particular, makes the helicopters used by the Columbian military (and paramilitaries).

You just can't keep a good man down! Especially when it's the largest bank in the world.

Finally, Prof. Christian De Brie, journalist of the Monde Diplomatique, provided expertise concerning the money laundering activities of CitiBank, citing evidence from the minority report of the U.S. Senate subcommittee on money laundering (cases of the Mexican president's brother, Raul Salinas, the Nigerian dictator Abasha, Omar Bongo of Niger, etc.) from which it was evident that CitiBank did everything it could to hide the criminal activities of its clients.

The vice-president of CitiBank, M. Lancin, was heard after De Brie's testimony. The judge got a good laugh asking Lancin if it wasn't too disagreeable for his clients to have to step over all the protestors in the hall of the bank… and whether Salinas, for example, had come in that day!

Finally, the motives of the accused were heard. As one of them said, "Sixty years ago, Swiss banks didn't want to know that the nazi gold they were laundering came from the teeth of Jews and gipsies. Thirty years ago, they didn't want to respect the boycott of South Africa or know what crimes were committed by apartheid. Now they are forced to pay compensations. But wouldn't it be better if they stopped helping the criminals of today? After the testimony heard, Mr. Lancin and CitiBank can no longer pretend to ignore that they are profiting from huge crimes against humanity in Columbia. Logically, they should thank us, withdraw their complaint and withdraw their investments in Columbia.

Unless of course, they want to go down in history as people who didn't care. Who didn't want to know."

The judgement will be handed down shortly, but we are already quite happy with the result anyhow!

CitiGroup-uscule
Action Populaire contre la Mondialisation (APCM)°

P.S. We also organised some support events in the city. Some obviously anonymous sympathisers pasted the attached fake advert for CitiBank all over Geneva. Its such a good spoof of bank advertising, that its still posted all over, ten days later. I guess the publicity people didn't even notice it was strange.

PPS. Unfortunately, this isn't over. Not by a long shot. Just before Christmas we had news of new paramilitary massacres in the same Afro-colombian communities and elsewhere. Things are getting worse, not better. We call on all people who want to know and to act to keep their eyes on Colombia, Bolivia and the Andean region in general.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)