Students Rally Against Harvard's Management of Timber Plantations in Argentina
Students Rally Against Harvard's Management of Timber Plantations in Argentina
By Kristina D. Lorch, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER 2 hours ago
The Responsible Investment at Harvard Coalition held a rally Friday afternoon on the steps of Widener Library and Massachusetts Hall to protest the University’s management of timber plantations it owns in Argentina. The rally comes after much debate over the plantations, including allegations of mismanagement in the fall and the announcement of the recertification of the plantations last week.
Throughout the afternoon, students and community members chanted, marched, and held signs, which read “Harvard be transparent,” “Faust: no more land grabs,” and “We’re yelling timber, you better move.”
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The protests were a part of Responsible Investment at Harvard Coalition’s week-long SHAME Tour, which seeks to “stop Harvard’s Argentine mismanagement and exploitation,” according to the organization’s website. As part of the demonstration, the coalition flew two leaders from local communities in Argentina, Adrian Obregon and Emilio Spataro, 4,884 miles to Harvard’s campus.
Responsible Investment at Harvard is a coalition of students, alumni, faculty, and community members dedicated to changing the way the University manages its investments, according to its website. Members of the coalition argue that Harvard’s unjust practices on the Argentine plantations include devastating local farmers, harming workers, and destroying wetlands.
More:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/4/14/responsible-investment-rally-argentina/
