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Photo Essay: Occupy Monsanto Actions in St. Louis

Activists from Millions Against Monsanto and the Gateway Green Alliance hang a banner across the street from an industry conference on “biosafety of GMOs.” Photo: Petermann/GJEP

Note: Global Justice Ecology Project Executive Director Anne Petermann and Board Chair Orin Langelle were in St. Louis over September 16 and 17 for the GMO-Free Midwest Conference and the Occupy Monsanto day of action.   The events were organized by the Organic Consumers Association and the Gateway Greens Alliance.

Petermann spoke on the first day of the GMO Free Midwest conference on the dangers of genetically engineered trees at C.A.M.P. (Community Arts and Movement Project) near downtown St. Louis.  Langelle spoke against the Green Economy during day two of the GMO Free Midwest conference.  Day two of the conference was held simultaneous to the “12th International Symposium of Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms” at the Millennium Hotel, adjacent to the St. Louis arch.

The second day of the conference and the Occupy Monsanto actions which followed were held in celebration of the one-year Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.

The photo essay below is from the day of activities against Monsanto, both the conference at the Millennium hotel and the three actions that followed.  The actions included a rally outside of the Millennium Hotel, an action at Whole Foods directed at their policy of allowing GMO foods to be sold in their stores, and an protest outside the world headquarters of Monsanto in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

–The GJEP Team

Rich Martin, a Director at the Millennium hotel, in full freak-out mode, threatens to throw out organizers and journalists from the GMO Free Midwest conference for asking questions and attempting to take photos. Photo: Petermann/ GJEP

Irina Ermakova, a leading scientist at the Russian Academy of Scientists presented on the health impacts of GMOs at the 12th International Symposium of Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms.  She then left that event to join the activists at the GMO Free Midwest conference at the Millennium Hotel. Later she took part in the demonstration outside of the hotel in protest of the GMO industry conference.  Photo: Petermann/GJEP

Protesters rally across the street from the Millennium Hotel. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

A mother and her two children protest Monsanto and GMOs outside of the Millennium Hotel. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Mutant corn is turned away from participating in the “12th International Symposium of Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms.” Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Activist from Occupy Monsanto expresses their feelings about Monsanto. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Activist in Guy Fawks mask protests Monsanto during Occupy Monsanto day of action.  Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Activist in Guy Fawks mask protests Monsanto during Occupy Monsanto day of action. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Protest across the street from the GMO industry conference at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis, MO. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

After leaving the industry conference, activists went to Whole Foods for an action protesting the fact that Whole Foods carries unlabeled GMO foods. Photo: Petermann/GJEP

Eric, an anti-GMO cotton farmer from Texas, protests outside of Whole Foods. Photo: Petermann/GJEP

An activist ties up the line at Whole Foods by asking the clerk whether each of the items in her cart contain GMOs. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

A “superbug” caused by consumption of GMO crops argues with a police officer outside of Whole Foods. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

GMO farmer dressed for duty outside of Whole Foods. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

From Whole Foods, the Occupy Monsanto protest went straight to the source–the heavily guarded headquarters of Monsanto. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Millions Against Monsanto banner at the Monsanto headquarters. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Occupy Monsanto sign. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Protesters line the highway outside of Monsanto’s headquarters. Photo: Langelle/GJEP

Anti-Monsanto protester is interviewed by the local media. Photo: Langelle/GJEP.

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Filed under Actions / Protest, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Corporate Globalization, Events, False Solutions to Climate Change, Food Sovereignty, Genetic Engineering, Industrial agriculture, Pollution

RELEASE: Cancun–Activists Occupy Lobby during Climate Talks

Global Justice Ecology Project Press Release     10 December 2010
(GJEP statement follows Release)

Photos: http://climatevoices.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/photo-essay-moon-palace-occupation-for-climate-justice/

Outrage at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Moon Palace Occupation Demands Climate Justice
UNFCCC Now the World Carbon Trading Organization

Cancun, Mexico–At 1:15 PM on the last day of the UN climate talks, a dozen participants staged an un-permitted action at the Moon Palace where the climate negotiations were taking place, to protest the silencing of civil society voices by the UNFCCC. Their mouths gagged with “UNFCCC,” they locked arms in front of the escalators leading to the closed chambers where high-level climate negotiations were taking place.

The group stood their ground amid an onrush of security, as Anne Petermann of Global Justice Ecology Project, Deepak Rugani of Biofuelwatch and Global Forest Coalition, and Rebecca Leonard of Focus on the Global South shouted, “The UN is silencing dissent!” and other slogans referring to the shut down of people’s voices at the climate talks.

“We took this action because the voices of indigenous peoples, of women, of small island countries, of the global south, must be heard!” they demanded.

Nicola Bullard of Focus on the Global South, who was standing by, said, “What we see here is a group of people representing voices silenced by the U.N. process. In the past few weeks we’ve seen the exclusion of countries of the global south, and their proposals ignored. We’ve seen activists and representatives from civil society excluded from the meetings and actually expelled from the UN Climate conference. This action was taken to show the delegates here that we think this process is unjust, that there are voices that must be heard, and that there are perspectives and ideas and demands that must be included in the debates being held in this building. These decisions are far too important to be left to politicians and big business. We need to open up this up to include the voices of the people and the voices of the South.”

Participants in the action were finally forced out of the building by security, but refused to unlock their arms despite security manhandling.  They were expelled from the UN Conference, their accreditation badges taken away, and put on a bus that took them to the Villa Climatica, miles away from the Moon Palace.

Contact: Anne Petermann, Global Justice Ecology Project +52.998.167.8131 (Cancun mobile)
or +1.802.578.0477 (U.S. mobile)

###
___________________________________________________

Global Justice Ecology Project Statement:
The Silencing of Dissent within the UNFCCC

Global Justice Ecology Project took action today to protest the silencing of dissent within the UN Climate negotiations. Anyone whose interests do not reflect those of the global elite is being marginalized, ignored and shut out of the talks.

At the UN Climate Talks in Copenhagen last year, dissent was criminalized and activists charged with terrorism for organizing the “Reclaim Power” protest. Here we are seeing a continuation of this trend with a zero-tolerance policy for dissenting voices.

Global Justice Ecology Project also undertook this action in memory of Lee Kyung Hae, the South Korean Farmer and La Via Campesina member who martyred himself at the in protest against the WTO here seven years ago. In 2003 the fight was against the repressive trade policies of the WTO. Today the struggle is against the repressive position of the UNFCCC, which has become the World Carbon Trade Organization, and is forcing developing countries to accept policies that go against the interests of their citizens and the majority of the world’s inhabitants.

REDD – the scheme of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation that is being pushed through here, despite widespread concern about the human rights and ecological catastrophe it may bring, is a prime example of the kind of market-driven, top down policies of the UNFCCC that will allow business as usual to continue beyond all natural limits. These unjust policies will severely impact forest-dependent and indigenous peoples, campesinos, and marginalized peoples across the world.

From before the opening of the UN climate talks in Cancun on 29 November 2, through to the final moments, the atmosphere at here has been one of marked by exclusion, marginalization, and silencing of voices.

When the UNFCCC’s negotiating text was released on 24 November, all language from the Cochabamba People’s Agreement – a document developed by 35,000 people- had been removed. In its place, was a warmed version of the unjust Copenhagen Accord.

Arriving in Cancun, UN climate conference participants found an armed citadel, a civil society space set literally miles away from the negotiations, inflated prices and hours of travel daily. For NGOs and civil society groups, as well as for the smaller and less economically empowered delegations from the less developed countries, such obstacles are crippling.

Activists and representatives from civil society have been systematically excluded from the meetings and even expelled from the UNFCCC itself. When voices have been raised in Cancun, badges have been stripped. Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network lost one precious day of negotiations due to the suspension of his badge for simply speaking in public. Youth delegates were barred for spontaneously taking action against a permitting process for protests made unwieldy and inaccessible.  NGO delegates were banned from the Moon Palace simply for filming these protests.
The exclusion and silencing of civil society voices here  in Cancun mirrors the larger exclusion and silencing here of the majority of people – indigenous peoples, women, youth, small farmers, developing countries– whose position does not reflect that of the global elite.

This is why, in solidarity with our allies from oppressed communities in the North and the South, we took action to demand justice in the climate negotiations.
www.globaljusticeecology.org
www.wordpress.climatevoices.com

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7 Generations Walk and Hunger Strike Against Nuclear Power Plant

Note: Japanese activists arrived at the UN CBD COP-10 meetings 45 days
after beginning their 800 kilometer walk–to protest the fact that the
Japanese government is allowing the construction of a new nuclear power
plant in one of the most pristine areas remaining in Japan–a place with
many endangered and endemic species.

It is not unprecedented for the host country for the UN Biodiversity
Convention to be simultaneously causing massive destruction of
biodiversity.  In 2008, the CBD COP-9 took place in Germany only days
after Germany struck a deal with Brazil to exchange nukes for agrofuels.
And Brazil hosted the COP-8 in 2006 at the same time that they were
allowing GE soy to expand uncontrollably into the Amazon forest.  Ain’t
irony great?

–Anne Petermann, for the GJEP Team

_____________________________________________

Source: 7 Generations Walk

Nagoya, Japan–Anti-nuclear activists from Japan began the 7 Generations
Walk on 25th August 2010, walking over 800km from Kaminoseki-cho in
Yamaguchi Prefecture to the UN Biodiversity COP-10 in Nagoya.  This is
their statement:

We have started a hunger strike in protest of the nuclear plant, for the
sea and for future generations.  Our leader, who is also a monk, has not
eaten or drank anything for 7 days as of today.

On the morning of 15th October, barges gathered off Kaminoseki-cho in
Yamaguchi Prefecture, the
planned site of the Kaminoseki nuclear power plant, to begin filling in
the sea. This place is a biodiversity hot spot, full of endangered
species. Also, it’s the gateway of the Seto Inland Sea. The effect of this
reclamation and the eventual nuclear power plant is immeasurable.

We started the walk to spread the message of co-existence and to think
about what we
want to hand on to future generations.

While we walked, we felt a connection with the land, ocean and sky and
realized that we are able to live only because of nature.

Take action:

Call, fax and email the following to protest the construction of this
nuclear power plant in the biodiverse and beautiful Seto inland sea of
Kaminoseki-cho.

Chogoku Electric Power company: +81-082-241-0211 ph  /  +81-082-523-6185 fax

email: go to https://www.energia.co.jp/cgi-bin/energia/contact/contact.cgi

Imori Industry: +81-820-22-1500 or +81-80-5612-6710 or +81-80-1939-4251

Yamaguchi Prefectural Governor: +81-83-933-2570 ph / +81-83-933-2599
email: mailto:a12900@pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp

Contact the Japanese Embassy in the US:

+1-202-238-6700 ph / +1-202-328-2187

(You can search the internet contact information for other Japanese
Embassies.)

For more information: http://7gwalk.org 7gwalk@gmail.com

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