Marchers in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: @Revonews/ Twitter)
May 24, 2014
"It's time to take back our food!" was the cry as people in 52 countries worldwide took to the streets in a global day of action on Saturday against chemical behemoth Monsanto.
The third annual March Against Monsanto (MAM) is slated to be the biggest yet, according to movement founder Tami Canal, with millions of people in over 400 cities expected to take part.
"From Agent Orange to Monsanto's pending patents directly affiliated with weather modification to the gross government corruption, MAM has evolved to expose all the insidious tentacles that Monsanto possesses," said Canal in an interview with Anti-Media.
Across social media, protesters shared images from demonstrations around the world where people called for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals.
Tweets about "#MarchAgainstMonsanto OR #endmonsanto"
"People often ask me 'Why Monsanto?'" wrote food justice advocate Dr. Vandana Shiva in a statement on the March. "My response is, we did not choose to target Monsanto. Monsanto chose to target our seed and food freedom, our scientific and democratic institutions, our very lives."
"Monsanto wants superprofits through total control over nature and humanity," Shiva continued.
"The greed and violence of one corporation cannot be allowed to destroy life on Earth, the lives of our farmers, the lives of our children," Shiva added. "That is why we March Against Monsanto."
Citing recent successes such as a ban on GMO cultivation in two Oregon counties and the passage of a GMO labeling initiative in Vermont, Canal said the movement has already seen a number of "positives" this year, where people "truly battled the Goliath biotech industry and overcame the odds and financial power of companies like Monsanto."
Though GMOs have been at least partially banned in over 15 countries and must be labelled in 62 countries, according to MAM organizers, food safety advocates face an uphill battle in the U.S.
"The revolving door between Monsanto employees, government positions, and regulatory authorities has led to key Monsanto figures occupying positions of power at the FDA and EPA," the group writes in their call to action.
A list of all March Against Monsanto demonstrations can be found here.
_____________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
"It's time to take back our food!" was the cry as people in 52 countries worldwide took to the streets in a global day of action on Saturday against chemical behemoth Monsanto.
The third annual March Against Monsanto (MAM) is slated to be the biggest yet, according to movement founder Tami Canal, with millions of people in over 400 cities expected to take part.
"From Agent Orange to Monsanto's pending patents directly affiliated with weather modification to the gross government corruption, MAM has evolved to expose all the insidious tentacles that Monsanto possesses," said Canal in an interview with Anti-Media.
Across social media, protesters shared images from demonstrations around the world where people called for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals.
Tweets about "#MarchAgainstMonsanto OR #endmonsanto"
"People often ask me 'Why Monsanto?'" wrote food justice advocate Dr. Vandana Shiva in a statement on the March. "My response is, we did not choose to target Monsanto. Monsanto chose to target our seed and food freedom, our scientific and democratic institutions, our very lives."
"Monsanto wants superprofits through total control over nature and humanity," Shiva continued.
"The greed and violence of one corporation cannot be allowed to destroy life on Earth, the lives of our farmers, the lives of our children," Shiva added. "That is why we March Against Monsanto."
Citing recent successes such as a ban on GMO cultivation in two Oregon counties and the passage of a GMO labeling initiative in Vermont, Canal said the movement has already seen a number of "positives" this year, where people "truly battled the Goliath biotech industry and overcame the odds and financial power of companies like Monsanto."
Though GMOs have been at least partially banned in over 15 countries and must be labelled in 62 countries, according to MAM organizers, food safety advocates face an uphill battle in the U.S.
"The revolving door between Monsanto employees, government positions, and regulatory authorities has led to key Monsanto figures occupying positions of power at the FDA and EPA," the group writes in their call to action.
A list of all March Against Monsanto demonstrations can be found here.
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
"It's time to take back our food!" was the cry as people in 52 countries worldwide took to the streets in a global day of action on Saturday against chemical behemoth Monsanto.
The third annual March Against Monsanto (MAM) is slated to be the biggest yet, according to movement founder Tami Canal, with millions of people in over 400 cities expected to take part.
"From Agent Orange to Monsanto's pending patents directly affiliated with weather modification to the gross government corruption, MAM has evolved to expose all the insidious tentacles that Monsanto possesses," said Canal in an interview with Anti-Media.
Across social media, protesters shared images from demonstrations around the world where people called for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals.
Tweets about "#MarchAgainstMonsanto OR #endmonsanto"
"People often ask me 'Why Monsanto?'" wrote food justice advocate Dr. Vandana Shiva in a statement on the March. "My response is, we did not choose to target Monsanto. Monsanto chose to target our seed and food freedom, our scientific and democratic institutions, our very lives."
"Monsanto wants superprofits through total control over nature and humanity," Shiva continued.
"The greed and violence of one corporation cannot be allowed to destroy life on Earth, the lives of our farmers, the lives of our children," Shiva added. "That is why we March Against Monsanto."
Citing recent successes such as a ban on GMO cultivation in two Oregon counties and the passage of a GMO labeling initiative in Vermont, Canal said the movement has already seen a number of "positives" this year, where people "truly battled the Goliath biotech industry and overcame the odds and financial power of companies like Monsanto."
Though GMOs have been at least partially banned in over 15 countries and must be labelled in 62 countries, according to MAM organizers, food safety advocates face an uphill battle in the U.S.
"The revolving door between Monsanto employees, government positions, and regulatory authorities has led to key Monsanto figures occupying positions of power at the FDA and EPA," the group writes in their call to action.
A list of all March Against Monsanto demonstrations can be found here.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.