Argentinian Monsanto protester threatened, then physically beaten, by industry goons

Friday, December 06, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: Monsanto, physical assault, Argentinians

(NaturalNews) A mother of three has met the brutal hand of the insanely powerful biotechnology industry, which recently sent a duo of thugs to literally beat her relentlessly after earlier threatening to murder her. GM Watch reports that Sofia Gatica, who has successfully spearheaded campaigns to block plantings of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in her home country of Argentina, was targeted by two men on motorbikes who very likely would have killed her if it were not for the intervention of her neighbors.

Reports indicate that the men approached Gatica near her work, just 72 hours after she received a terrifying death threat. An outspoken activist on issues relating to GMOs, Gatica led the charge back in 2012 to require that chemical companies first prove the safety of their poisons before gaining official approval for their use in Argentina. She is also currently leading efforts to prevent the establishment of a new Monsanto facility in the Malvinas region of Argentina, where she helped set up blockades to impede construction.

"I was at the bus stop and two men appear on a motorcycle in the opposite direction," recalls Sofia about her terrifying experience at the hands of pro-GMO thugs. "One jumped on top of me and they kicked and beat me. I screamed loudly and the neighbors came out to help me," she adds, noting in a separate interview with La Voz del Interior that the men hit her "neck, arms, legs, everything."

The unidentified assailants did not steal anything from Gatica, nor did they target her property or her neighbors, which leads her to believe that the attack was prompted by the very industry players that she actively works to prevent from destroying her homeland. Argentina, after all, is a major biotech target and is currently the world's third largest exporter of Monsanto's Roundup Ready GM soybeans, which require heavy applications of deadly chemicals.

Gatica filed a complaint with local police not long after the incident but was wary about having to enlist the help of guards for protection. But with three little ones at home and more work to be done on the food freedom front, Gatica has cooperated with local law enforcement and agreed to have an armed guard stand watch at her property.

"I didn't want to have guards watching over me," she told Cordoba's Canal 10 news. "I just want the people of Monsanto to leave me in peace."

Gatica's fourth child was reportedly killed by Monsanto's chemicals

As you may recall from earlier reports, Gatica's fourth child died as a result of being exposed to Monsanto's agricultural chemicals. Her other three children have also since tested positive for agro-chemicals in their blood, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly problematic in Argentina, as major industry players continue to set up GM crop fields in close proximity to residential areas.

As far as the current efforts by Monsanto to establish a new facility in Malvinas, the world's most evil corporation is attempting to bypass the law by gaining access to new land for planting without first submitting a proper environmental impact study. Gatica and many other local residents are obviously opposed to this takeover and have made their voices heard in recent days by setting up the blockades and gathering signatures for a petition.

"We call the whole of organized society to accompany this measure of strength to show solidarity in the struggle against the multinational [corporation] and for food sovereignty and life," reads an Avaaz.org petition created for people all over the world to sign, translated from Spanish. "It is necessary to join forces with all environmental and territorial conflicts of Argentina ... [and say] no to transgenic food."

You can sign the petition here:
https://secure.avaaz.org.

Sources for this article include:

http://gmwatch.eu

http://www.gmwatch.org

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