Israeli mining giant ICL faces protests in Catalonia over white phosphorus ties

In late April, up to a thousand people gathered in the municipality of Callús, in the Catalan county of Bages, for a protest camp against the continued operation of sodium and potash salt mines owned by Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL). The company's Iberian arm, Iberpotash, has managed the mines in Sallent, Balsareny, Vilafruns, and Súria since their privatisation in 1998. The protest, organised by local platforms such as Montasalat and the collective Revoltes de la Terra, highlighted both the environmental damage caused by the mines and ICL's links to the production of white phosphorus, a chemical weapon used by the Israeli army in Lebanon and Gaza.