BRENTWOOD,
CA (May 16, 2001)—Opponents of biotechnology uprooted genetically engineered
strawberry, tomato and onion plants at a facility run by DNA Plant Technology
Holding that was recently acquired by ELM, a multinational bioengineering
corporation that also own Seminis vegetable seeds.
CLATSKANIE,
OR (May 20, 2001)—Saboteurs set fire to two buildings, several trucks and some
machinery at Jefferson Poplar Farm near this town and left graffiti reading
“ELF” and “You can’t control the wild.”
SEATTLE, WA (May 20, 2001)—Arson fire gutted Merrill Hall,
home of the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture. This was
not the first attack against this center which is involved in experiments with
genetic engineering, as well as research for the lumber industry. Individuals
using the name Earth Liberation Front (ELF) claimed the action.
ARCATA, CA (May 28,2001)—Unknown vandals defaced the statue of President William McKinley in the plaza. McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist immigrant named Leon Czolgosz nearly one hundred years ago.
ESTACADA,
OR (June 1, 2001)—Unknown individuals attempted to set fire to six trucks
belonging to a logging company that planned start harvesting trees in the Mount
Hood National Forest. One truck was destroyed and two others damaged.
Protesters have been living among the trees for two years in an attempt to
prevent logging. A spokesperson for Cascadia Forest Alliance, showing the
obtuseness of those who define themselves as activists, said, “The torching of
the trucks strays from what is really important, which is the protection of the
watershed.” As if an attack against the arsenal of the force attacking the
watershed was not the most reasonable of protective actions. But those who
still reason within the framework of law and democracy will never understand
that in the context of a social existence that is an attack on the totality of
life the only real defense is to attack that existence and try to destroy it.
FILER,
ID (June 10, 2001)—Local farmers and crop truckers destroyed thousands of
Round-up ready peas, plants that have been genetically modified to withstand
the herbicide, Roundup. These peas were a test crop of the Seminis Vegetable
Seeds company. In their communiqué, the saboteurs said, “A bunch of us around
here doing farming and trucking crops decided to find out anything we could
about Seminis. And then the information we got made us take things into our own
hands and go out into their fields one night and rip out the pea plants.”
ESCUINTLA,
GUATEMALA (June 17, 2001)—Father’s day was a real holiday for seventy eight
prisoners as family members and friends smuggled assault rifles and hand
grenades into the prison known as “The Inferno”. Prisoners shot their way past
eight doors and highjacked cars and busses to flee Escuintla. At last report
sixty-seven are still free.
MONTREAL,
QUEBEC, CANADA (June 24, 2001)—Quebec’s annual St-Jean Baptiste holiday
coincided with the weekly “Tam-Tams”, a huge gathering of young people at
Mount-Royal Park to dance, play drums and generally have fun. Police were out
in force harassing people, performing arbitrary searches and confiscating beer
and other items. So it was no surprise that when there was a moment’s respite
from police harassment, people started to riot. They attacked a McDonald’s at
the corner of the park, smashed windows and throw in a Molotov cocktail. Other
businesses were also attacked, including a luxury carpet shop, two gas stations
and a state-run liquor store. A few of the buses carrying riot cops to the
scene were also attacked.
BRABANT, NETHERLANDS (June 25, 2001)—During the night, a group of individuals calling themselves “Razende Hazen” (Enraged Hares) sabotaged two field tests of genetically engineered sugar beets. These tests of “Roundup-ready” beets were being conducted by Monsanto.