News and Updates: all
Over 20 years ago, Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST) was born. Through continued grassroots organizing, political education and mass nonviolent action, over 350,000 landless families have won title to land – roughly one million people! These families now farm over 20 million acres of agricultural lands, ensuring their own food security...
On July the 31st of 2004, over 400 MST families occupied the Santa Filomena Estate in Brazil’s southern state of Paraná. During the occupation, MST activist Elias de Meura, 20 years of age, was shot and killed by gunmen hired to keep the landless from occupying the estate.
The families have continued to refuse to leave the estate,...
On June 13th of 2006, Via Campesina - Brazil presented the report, 'O Latifundio dos Eucaliptos' to the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Christine Campos, of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of RS, stressed the importance of this event, identifying the report as a tool to educate civil society as to the negative impacts of...
Since the end of last year, the men and women rural workers from the Pátria Livre encampment in the municipality of Correia Pinto (SC), have been denouncing the human rights violations committed by the owners of the São Roque Farm. The decree of expropriation of the area is being processed in the Supreme Court and the landless workers are...
Two conferences, two views of agrarian reform
Author: FMST's Charlotte Casey
Two international conferences are taking place this week in Porto Alegre, both sponsored by the United Nations Agency on Food and Agriculture (FAO) and both on the subject of agrarian reform. The similarities end there.
Approximately 70 nations...
Civil Society Confronts State Officials at the ICARRD Conference
Author: FMST's Isabella Kenfield
Today was the last day of the parallel forum, and tomorrow the official ICARRD conference will end as well. In the last two days there appears to have been an opening up of dialogue between representatives of the two meetings. I was...
[06/08/06] Brazilian media attempts to criminalize MST and Via Campesina
Frei Sergio Gorgen, Deputy for the State of Rio Grande do Sul (PT-RS), criticized yesterday the Zero Hour newspaper of his state for its’ inappropriate linking of the Movement for the Liberation of the Landless (MLST) with Via Campesina. “While it is not our role...
From: João Pedro Stedile, of MST’s National Coordinating Body
To: Friends of the MST
Journalist Juan Arias, correspondent for EL PAIS and Rio, recently published incorrect information regarding the recent events in Brasilia [as did BBC Online, SEE BELOW]. In response, the MST released the following message, to be shared with media...
Campaign for the Expropriation of the Coqueiros (Coconut Palm) Farm
Dear Friends,
The MST recently kicked off a campaign for the expropriation of seven thousand hectares of vacant lands known as the Fazenda Guerra, located in the municipality of Coqueiros do Sul. Currently, this vast, uninhabited area belonging to the Guerra...
Dear friends of the MST
In the name of our commitment to the struggle against obscurantism and backwardness, two strong instruments of domination of the Brazilian elite, the MST has worked to ensure basic teaching for thousands of children, youth, and adults in rural areas in more than 1200 primary public schools and in dozens of...