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"Monsanto's not welcome at the U of A." That was
the message sent last week by a group of demonstrators to
the multinational chemical corporation Monsanto as their representatives
visited campus during a recruiting drive.
The demonstration, coordinated by the Campus Democracy
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UA
student Matt Hartley shows his resentment toward
the Monsanto Corp.
(Photo:
Jonathan
Ward )
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Collective
along with the Young Democrats and Sierra Student Coalition,
took place in front of the Animal Sciences Building.
A group of around 18 demonstrators, dressed in toxic waste
suits and gas-masks, held signs and banners accusing the company
of various crimes against humanity and the environment. The
attacks ranged from questioning the corporation's production
of the popular pesticide, Round-Up to its involvement with
genetically modified organisms.
"Although Monsanto says that Round-Up's safe, recent
studies indicate that in fact it causes cancer in humans,"
said demonstrator Andrew D'Arezzo.
D'Arezzo referred to a 1999 study by the American Cancer Society
linking Round-Up to Lymphoma Cancer.
The demonstrators were also distributing handbills and circulating
a petition that was calling on Monsanto to stop selling Round-Up
for use in Colombia.
According to Carol Johnson, one of the event coordinators,
Round-Up is being used in Colombia as part of a program to
eradicate cocoa crops (used to produce cocaine). She asserts,
however, that the pesticide is being used on more than just
cocoa.
"The crop-dusters distributing Round-Up are spraying
it everywhere," she said. "They're dumping it on
food crops, livestock and in water supplies. Worst of all
they're spraying innocent people," she added.
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UA
students demonstrate outside the Animal Sciences
building this past week.
(Photo:
Courtesy)
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A recent Associated Press article backs up her allegations.
It reported that Senator Wellstone of Minnesota was sprayed
by the chemical while on a fact-finding tour of Colombia.
Monsanto has placed a warning label on Round-Up used in the
US, asking people not to use it near water supplies or humans.
"Either
the label's not on the stuff being sold to Colombia or else
it's being ignored," said Justin Lowry, member of the
CDC. "It doesn't really matter. What matters is that
Round-Up's being used in a way that's hurting people and damaging
the environment. Monsanto needs to look at how its product
is being used and act accordingly," he added.
Lowry likened the use of Round-Up in Colombia to the US military's
use of Agent Orange in the 1960's during the Vietnam War.
"What's going on in Colombia with Round-Up is the same
thing that went on in Vietnam with Agent Orange, which, by
the way was also being produced by Monsanto," asserts
Lowry. "It seems like they would have learned their lesson
after all the lives that were lost because of that deadly
chemical," he added.
While most demonstrators were outside, a small group went
inside to ask Monsanto reps talking with around 25 students
interested in the company, about their business practices.
The representatives refused to answer the students' questions
at that time but invited the students back for a session that
was scheduled in the Poultry Science Building later that day.
Unbeknownst to the Monsanto reps or demonstrators, at the
same time the demonstration was going on Monsanto was facing
another challenge in Italy. According to the Associated Press,
the Italian police raided a Monsanto warehouse and confiscated
over 100 tons of genetically modified corn, the use of which
is illegal in that country. 
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