[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 18:17:00 08/17/07
2 months after the first act of civil disobedience against genetic modified organisms in Portugal, it was published on the Internet a documentary of about 12 minutes, with new images on the action that show it as non-violent and symbolic.
The action of the Movimento Verde Eufémia in Silves, on August 17, brought attention to the problem of growing transgenic in Portuguese agriculture. However, in general, the media presented only a partial view of this political action, classifying it as an act of violence and vandalism against a farmer without defense.
A video released today on the Internet shows a different view of the action. On the images one can see activists preventing attacks of farmers and trying to pacify the conflicts that were created. These images are a reflection of the two principles that the activists announced: the non-violence on people and an attitude that seeks to mitigate the conflicts.
The film also shows that there are several activists who participated in the action without covering the face, assuming their act publicly in defense of the common good, in a political act to be considered as fair as necessary.
The final images are proof of symbolism of the act of civil disobedience in Silves, which affected less than 1 hectare of a property with more than 70 hectares of intensive monoculture of corn (of which 51 hectares were of transgenic corn). Unlike the image that the media transmitted, the way of living of the farmer Jose Menezes was not at all threatened. Moreover, at the time of the action, participants in the protest made an offer of organic corn sufficient to re cultivate the 51 hectares of transgenic corn, and this proposal was rejected by the owner.
The film is available in Portuguese and English for streaming and download at http:// ogm.blip.tv / The video is published under a license CreativeCommons - NonCommercial that does not allow reprint, but allows free distribution and exhibition for non-commercial purposes.
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