[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...
For the first time, a Sem Terra defends doctoral thesis
“One of the priorities in the MST is education, and the conquest of the title of
Doctor means the achievement of this priority. The effort to research and write
the thesis also demonstrates that the Movement is concerned with the elaboration
of new concepts whose...
Bionatur holds Third National Meeting
May 4, 2006
**NOTE: The Friends of the MST (FMST) has played an important role in the securing of resources for the MST's Bionatur organic seed initiative. We invite any/all interested parties to contact us if they are interested in contributing to this wonderful effort.**
Twenty-two...
Land Reform not only benefits the Landless, it brings development to entire regions where settlements are established. Replacing the large unproductive estates, hundreds of working families plow the soil in order to harvest crops and bring them to local markets. Along with the increase in food available in the region, the entire economy is...
Last year, 64 people were killed as a result of land conflicts in Brazil's rural areas. This number, representing an increase of 106% from 2004, is one of many facts and figures published in the Pastoral Land Commision's report, "Conflitos no Campo 2005". The report has been published annually since 1985 in an effort to document the violence...
[04/24/06] Gunmen attack MST encampment, shoot 3-year-old child
11:00pm, April 23rd - Six heavily armed gunmen attacked an MST encampment located on Taquaral Farm, also known as the ‘Farm of the Mexicans’. The property is located in the municipality of Occidental City, in the Federal District.
The 250 MST families who currently...
We live in a dominant economic system that for centuries has engaged in the unlimited exploitation of all ecosystems and their natural resources. This strategy has generated economic growth and, for some countries, what has been called "development," and has privileged the consumption and well-being of a small fraction of humanity. And,...
