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Headlines : Civil LibertiesBrazil land invasion 'terrorism'
Helping people is terrorism? Where will this end?
MST is the largest social movement in Latin America, it has over 1,5 million members. Are they all terrorists?
Lula is just looking for an excuse to further delay the landreform he promissed.
Brazil has one of the biggest wealth gaps in the world. Nearly half of all farmland is owned by just 1% of the population.
[Posted By BurningMonk]Republished from BBC News
The inquiry into rural violence also urged the prosecution of leaders of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST).
A full session of the Brazilian congress will consider whether to reclassify the invasions.
The MST and allies have occupied farms and ranches to pressure the government to speed the settlement of hundreds of thousands of landless peasants.
Correspondents say land distribution in Brazil is among the most uneven in the world, with the poorest 40% of the population owning just 1% of the land.
Murderers
Lawmakers from the ruling Workers’ Party began the congressional inquiry last year in a bid to curb rural violence that, they say, has killed more than 1,300 people in the last 20 years.
The invasions have often lead to clashes with landowners.
The inquiry split between legislators loyal to the rural landowners and those allied to land reform movements such as the MST.
A committee member from the Workers’ Party, Ana Julia Carepa, ripped up the report, saying she would not be an accomplice of murderers.
“The MST terrorises Brazilian citizens by invading property bought legally, their actions are unacceptable under our constitution,” report sponsor Abelardo Lupion said.
Correspondents say the congressional inquiry can be seen as a defeat for Brazil’s land reform movement, and landless…
Posted by BurningMonk
To a capitalist, anything that in their mind destroys property is a terrorist act. This is why for example Animal Rights Activists, who have some fringle who’s form of protest involves destruction of property alone are also labelled terrorists. After all, property is an “asset”, labor, or people, are an expense.
alexander,
i second that motion
wow! It’s not that simple. A limit is needed here in brasil.
first, the lands the MST use to invade are not the lands that produce nothing -the lands that belong to the rich landowners. The MST use to invade most of the time the lands of small producers, even coperatives. why? because the owners of these lands don’t have money to hire protection from armed ‘capatazes’. So that’s easy to invade.
Also, the MST is very violent with these small producers after taking “their” lands.
the big unproductive lands – the 1% of your data – can hire tons of men with heavy guns. these landowners are so violent that MST people don’t invade their unproductive property, they just camp around most of time.
another thing, after taking the lands from small producers, the MST SELL IT! and when they don’t sell it they DON’T PRODUCE ON IT. Just in a few places they produce something for gringos to see. ;)
The problem is:
1.MST use poor people as a mass for their maoist agenda.
2.rich landowners of unproductive lands (the 1% u talked about) can pay money to politicians to support their parasite situation
3.small farms are destroyed by the MST and the “owners” sometime killed with even cruelty.
4.Lula, as a capitalist chicken he has turn to be, don’t want to fight against the rich landowners (the 1%)
5.small farmers are fucked up by MST
6.poor people who believe the MST promisses end up dying by conflict with military police or by the guns of the capatazes from these big unproductive farms.
The MST is evil. The Lula governament is evil. The unproductive landowners are evil and who pay the price? the small farmer who produce goods for a living and the poor men who believe in the promises of MST – who steel small lands and re-sell it to cash for it maoist agenda.
GuacoBey,
I would very much like to hear more about this. Do you have an English source (website, book,…)? I’m writing a paper on social movements (not about MST, but in general) so that’s why I’m interested.
Peace.
after 9/11 governments all over the world adopted the label terrorist for any group of people willing to stand against government injustice. They at the same time adopted the insane over the top violent responce and the fabrication of justification demonstrated by the us. for repressive governments it was perfect….... dont talk to me about american values… they are the values of any petty tyrant an oh ya ….. if ya travel….an they ask ya for a reason….watch how you say tororist (read tourist) to some young punk with a gun at the border lookin for a tererist.(read terrorist).............i didnt an ive been detained almost three months now i think