Four people were arrested just for being at the site, neighbors of La Paloma reported.
Meanwhile, on Sunday tens of people demonstrated in La Pedrera, a seaside town a few miles from La Paloma, to reject the national government’s plan to build a deep water port in El Palenque, a town close to La Pedrera. They say the project is destined to mining corporation Aratiri, which aims to create an iron exploitation mega project in the country.

The Uruguayan government decided to open up a 4-mile road to link Route 10 with the port of La Paloma. The trucks that will transport wood of UPM are planned to go through that road to then leave the wood in a port warehouse to be taken to the company’s pulp mill in Fray Bentos, Rio Negro department. The expansion of the port of La Paloma to store and transport wood would take several months.

On Monday, neighbors of La Paloma arrived to the place where the new road will be built to demonstrate and were met with police repression. The Union of Neighbors of La Paloma condemned the “unjustified repression of civil society groups”, cited by newspaper La Diaria. The neighbors explained that the four people who were detained were deprived of their liberty just for being in the area, since they did not commit any violent act or violation to the laws, nor did they prevent the construction.

The spokesperson of the Union of Neighbors of La Paloma, Diego Garcia, said the police intervention was totally disproportionate. “This is not our idea of progress. We believe that the port should promote the activities it already does” such as small and medium-scale fishing, sports, etc.

Another resident of La Paloma, Ricardo Rodriguez, said in an interview with community radio station La Kandela of Rocha, that the works for storage and cargo of wood in the port of La Paloma are “illegal” because there have not undergone environmental impact studies. For that reason the works need to stop now, he said.

Also on Monday, a group of neighbors submitted an amparo appeal before a local court with the argument that there was no environmental impact study for the works for the new road. Rocha’s governor, Artigas Barrios (of the ruling Frente Amplio party) had signed a resolution that said the works did not require an environmental impact study.

Rodríguez told La Kandela radio station that any project to expand the port of La Paloma will bring along the destruction of the seaside resort. He said the port should focus on fishing and tourism.

He also rejected the action of the riot police, similar to the times of the dictatorial regime, since he said “a group of citizens is peacefully demanding the enforcement of the law”. He said that the police defended the government that is failing to comply with the laws by failing to conduct an environmental impact study in the area”.

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