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MorusRSS
Daily Kos member

Mon Oct 12, 2009 at 04:19 PM PDT

#Trafigura: Kossacks, we need your help NOW

by MorusFollow

I hadn't heard of Trafigura before today. I've recently moved to New York from London, I don't read the Guardian every day since discovering the New York Times, and I don't work in the oil industry.

Trafigura is a private oil-trading company which has recently paid a massive settlement over its dumping of highly-toxic waste in the Ivory Coast. 12 people in the West African nation have reputedly died as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals produced as part of Caustic Washing (a process whereby gasoline is treated with caustic soda to remove impurities and increase its resale value), and many more have experienced burning of the skin and of the respiratory system.

A British MP called Paul Farrelly wanted to ask a question in Parliament about their attempts to gag the Guardian, and in an ironic twist, it is believed Trafigura have instructed Carter-Ruck (feared corporate media law specialists) to gag the Guardian from even reporting the Parliamentary question.

We want to put the Streisand Effect to work, and make hashtags #carterruck and especially #trafigura the top trending topics on Twitter. Please include these hashtags in your tweets of the next 24 hours.

Today's news - the injunction won to stop the Guardian from reporting Parliamentary proceedings (which may be in breach of the 1688 Bill of Rights, and will certainly be challenged:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

Top UK Blogger Guido Fawkes ignores the injunction to suggest that this is the question being asked:
http://order-order.com/...

The original question can be found at number 61 N on this Parliamentary order paper:
http://tr.im/...

For those interested in the background to this case, please take a look at the Guardian's excellent media coverage:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

The initial attempt to cover-up what had happened:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

The emails uncovered by the Guardian that explain the process:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

The result of a deal struck, so that Trafigura did not have to appear in court earlier this month:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

Previous attempts to gag the media are criticised here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/...

Originally posted to Morus on Mon Oct 12, 2009 at 04:19 PM PDT.

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