Sunday Times not convinced

An interesting review of Mine Your Own Business by Mick Heaney of the UK Sunday Times, a former colleague of co-director Phelim McAleer.

Mr Heaney finds Mine Your Own Business unconvincing.

Everyone is allowed their opinions but we would take issue with his comments that we "sideline facts that threaten our thesis".

In particular Mr Heaney claims we gloss over the fact that opposition to the Rosia Montana project was started by Eugene David, a local farmer.

However the facts tell the true story. The Goldman Prize, the Nobel Prize for environmentalists, was not given to Mr David but rather was awarded to Stephanie Roth, the Swiss environmentalist.

In their citation the Goldman Prize stated:

"Since 2002, Roth has been the driving force behind an international campaign to stop construction of Europe's largest open cast gold mine in Romania."

They also later describe the opposition as "Roth's campaign".

Ms Roth is a former journalist for The Ecologist. In a profile they state that:
"Thanks in part to the organizing efforts of Stephanie Roth, a French and Swiss citizen and former environmental journalist, Romanians have staged large public protests and organized an effective coalition of mine opponents."

The Goldman Foundation and the Ecologist believe a foreign environmentalist is the driving force behind the campaign. Who are we to argue?


You can read the full Sunday Times article below.
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You can see the documentary in full at the Dublin International Film Festival on Feb 18 at 12 noon in the IFI Temple Bar Dublin. The film makers will attend and there will be a panel discussion afterwards.