VIDEO (Below)–Protesters arrested for highlighting concerns of a quarter of a million people who signed on to reject GE Trees, or protested GE trees on six continents in 2015
Ridgeville, SC (28 September 2015) — A plan by activists to inform Andrew Baum, President and CEO of ArborGen that over 250,000 people signed letters and petitions [1] rejecting Genetically Engineered (GE) Trees was interrupted when police arrested the two people who intended to deliver that message.
Executive Director of Global Justice Ecology Project and Coordinator of the international Campaign to Stop Genetically Engineered Trees, Anne Petermann, and Global Justice Ecology Project’s GE Tree Campaign organizer, Ruddy Turnstone were stopped by police and arrested.
The letters and petitions rejecting GE Trees and international protests mark a growing concern about the dangers of GE Trees and the threats they pose to the environment. ArborGen is developing genetically engineered loblolly pine trees with no public input, no risk assessments and no method for the public to receive information about ArborGen’s activities.
Outside of ArborGen facilities, demonstrators did a guerrilla theater skit demanding that ArborGen “Tear Down the Wall” of secrecy surrounding the secret information being withheld by ArborGen.
Read the protesters statement about the action here
Take Action to support the protest here!
NOTES:
1] in 2015 alone, 269,867 people globally signed petitions rejecting genetically engineered trees:
a) Credo Petition to the USDA calling for rejection of ArborGen’s GE loblolly pines signed by 151,806 people: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/GMO_trees
b) Rainforest Rescue Petition rejecting GE eucalyptus trees signed by 101,511 people in 2 months from March 2015 through May 2015
– Portuguese: https://www.salveaselva.org/acoes/988/camponeses-brasileiros-exclamam-nao-queremos-arvores-transgenicas
– English: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/988/brazil-stop-the-frankentrees
– German: https://www.regenwald.org/aktion/988/tausende-bauern-in-brasilien-wir-wollen-keine-gentech-baeume
– Spanish: https://www.salvalaselva.org/mailalert/988/campesinas-en-brasil-no-a-los-arboles-transgenicos
– Indonesian: https://www.hutanhujan.org/aksi/988/ribuan-petani-di-brasil-kami-tidak-perlu-pohon-genetik
c) GE Free New Zealand sign on letter against GE trees in New Zealand signed by 16,550 people in 2 months https://www.stopgetrees.org.nz
Photo Credit: Gavin Bauer
