[act-ma] March Against Monsanto The Boston one this Saturday

[Daniel Kontoff]

   - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 17, 2018BOSTON MARCHES AGAINST MONSANTO IN 7TH ANNUAL WORLDWIDE EVENTBOSTON, MA shows solidarity with hundreds of cities across six continents in 7th annual MarchAgainst Monsanto as part of the worldwide grassroots campaign. On Saturday, May 19, 2018 people who care about our food, health and Earth will gather at Park Street in Boston at 1:00 pm to further educate and raise awareness about Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds and the increasingly toxic food supply, as well as its merger with the German pesticide, GMO and pharmaceutical giant Bayer.The Boston March this year is co-sponsored by the Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, the Committee for Peace and Human Rights, and Food for Activists. Speakers include Bill Cimbrelo,Democratic Candidate for Congress (MA-09) & environmental scientist, Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, PhD, Independent Candidate for Senate, MA & scientist, Terra Friedrichs, former Acton Selectboard member and activist, Jad Stamas, Green-Rainbow Party candidate for State Auditor, Somnath Mukherji from the Association for India’s Development, Luis Sanchez from the Venezuela Solidarity Committee, David EbonyAllen Barkley, aka Ebony 3 Arrows, founder of the Black Indian Inn, Fire Keeper for the Green Mt. Band of Aniyunwiwa, & others.One of the focal points of this year’s March will be the Bayer merger, which was recently approved by U.S. antitrust regulators despite widespread concerns from civil organizations, family farmers, and environmental scientists. The merger is expected to create a new company that will control more than a quarter of the world’s seeds and pesticides, consolidating unprecedented power over our food system into the hands of one foreign-based multi-national corporation.Another focus of this year’s March will be on glyphosate, the controversial active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup that was declared a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015. After months of legal battles, the state of California recently won the right to force Monsanto to place a cancer warninglabel on its products, in accordance with the IARC’s previous ruling. Yet this herbicide is still being sprayed in massive amounts and has been detected in air and rain samples, the breast milk of nursing mothers, childhood vaccines, prenatal vitamins, and baby formula, even as over 2,400 cancer related lawsuits have been filed against the St. Louis, Missouri based company.Glyphosate use has increased 16-fold since the mid-1990s according to U.S. Geological Survey Data.“Monsanto’s glyphosate has contaminated every facet of our lives. The cancer-causing herbicide has been detected in the air we breathe and many of the organic foods we eat. Our children are directly targeted as is evidenced by the discovery of glyphosate in vaccines, breast milk, and baby formulas. We must rise up and stop this toxic nightmare or we will see generations of overwhelming sickness and premature death like never before,” said Tami Canal, the founder of March Against Monsanto.
   - In addition to pesticides and the Bayer merger, the March will also focus on Monsanto’s recent $125 million investment in CRISPR, the controversial genetic modification technique that allowsscientists to “play God” by editing our favorite food crops quicker and easier in the lab than ever before. Because of this new technology, several novel foods are being created including a genetically engineered apple that doesn’t turn brown, genetically engineered potatoes, and more. Some worry that CRISPR GMO foods may become the new standard on grocery store shelves. In keeping with past protocol, these foods won’t be labeled, and haven’t been independently studied for their long-term health effects on humans.March Against Monsanto rallies will occur May 19th with the first protests happening in New Zealand and Australia to kick off the global events. Extensive protesting will happen across the world and related online coverage can be found on social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #marchMay19 and #MarchAgainstMonsanto (#MAM).