Originally published August 12 2015
Flashback: Syngenta's armed gunmen opened fire on crowd of peasant farmers protesting at illegal GMO facility
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) An incident that occurred several years ago is worthy of a revisit, especially as the debate over genetically modified organisms heats up and the mainstream "scientific community" has become much more militant and demanding that everyone be compliant and obedient and never challenge conventional wisdom lest they be destroyed, prosecuted or, as you will see, shot and killed.
It happened in 2007, in Brazil: A confrontation and resultant clash between peasant farmers and security guards at a GMO seed farm turned violent and deadly when two people were killed and several others wounded as protesters of GMO occupied a farm owned by Syngenta Ag, in order to prevent the seeds from being planted.
As reported at the time by blog site Non-GMOreport.com:
According to international peasant movement Via Campesina, Syngenta's farm was occupied by about 150 peasants who want to turn the farm into a GMO-free center for sustainable agriculture. The peasant farmers lit fireworks, and the farm's security guards left. Later in the day, a small bus arrived with armed gunman, who opened fire on the peasants.
One of the peasant farmers, Valmir Motta, 32, was shot in the chest and died. One of the security guards was also killed. Five other peasants were wounded, said officials with Via Campesina. The website noted that a subsequent Associated Press report said eight people in all were injured.
Guards weren't supposed to be armed
Following the incident government officials in the Brazilian state of Parana, where the farm was located, issued a statement saying that seven of the security guards were taken into custody, where they subsequently faced charges of homicide and gang formation.
The Non-GMOreport.com stated the same farm had been occupied by peasant farmers the previous year, in March 2006. Then, protesters said they wanted "to denounce to public authorities and civil society the illegal reproduction by Syngenta of GM soy and maize seeds in the area." Later the following year, Syngenta won a court order forcing the families off the farm.
Parana state officials then tried to confiscate the farm, alleging that Syngenta's GMO research there was illegal, and that the property ought to be used as an educational center for sustainable, organic agriculture. It was unclear whether that actually happened.
The group Via Campesina claimed at the time that Syngenta was hiring security guards who had a tendency to act in an "irregular way." A Syngenta spokesman, Medard Schoenmaeckers reportedly told The Associated Press that the company's contract with the security firm was explicit that the guards were not to be armed.
Responding to the attack, Angela B. Caudle, then-executive director of the International Federation of Organization Agricultural Movement (IFOAM), reportedly said, "This tragic incident shows that GMOs represent a culture of violence. Organic and agroecological approaches try to bring peace to this world. IFOAM offers its condolences to the family of Valmir Motta, the fallen farmer."
Fast-forwarding to the present, "mainstream" scientific community or agri-business giants haven't taken up arms against those who question conventional wisdom, but some have stepped up their rhetoric, even calling for those who deny certain "settled" issues - such as man-caused climate change - be prosecuted and jailed.
Getting rid of opposing views one way or another
As reported by the UK's Guardian in 2010, British lawyer and environmental activist Polly Higgins launched a movement aimed at convincing the United Nations to accept "ecocide" as a fifth "crime against peace," in which "violators" would be hauled before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and tried.
The Guardian further reported:
Supporters of a new ecocide law also believe it could be used to prosecute "climate deniers" who distort science and facts to discourage voters and politicians from taking action to tackle global warming and climate change.
"Ecocide is in essence the very antithesis of life," Higgins said. "It leads to resource depletion, and where there is escalation of resource depletion, war comes chasing behind. Where such destruction arises out of the actions of mankind, ecocide can be regarded as a crime against peace."
When your conventional wisdom is being challenged by people armed with countering facts, the standard progressive response is increasingly violence, ridicule, threats, and intimidation - whatever it takes to get rid of any and all opposition.
Sources:
http://www.non-gmoreport.com/articles/nov07/gmo_debate
http://www.theguardian.com
http://www.thenewamerican.com
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