"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

UA student Matt Hartley shows his resentment toward the Monsanto Corp. (Photo: Jonathan Ward )

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.

UA students demonstrate outside the Animal Sciences building this past week. (Photo: Courtesy)

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.