just so we’re clear about March Against Monsanto
Official MAM statement
We would like to remind everyone that MAM does not support violence or aggression towards property or people. Violence will only set us back.
Please be clear this movement is non-violent. We want the world to hear us. We must behave like adults not stoop to the level of violence.
Our Marches are family events. We will have children, elderly, and disabled people present. Violence of any kind will not be acceptable.
Please be warned that often times Monsanto themselves will send in their own plants to try and incite or instigate aggression. Do not be fooled. They are trying to destroy our unity.
With that said, Please do not bring violence or abusive comments to our March or to our Event pages. Your comments will be deleted and if it continues you will be banned.
We encourage all organizers of the individual events to share this message.
Please be warned if you are an instigator you will not be tolerated at our march and we our organizers will ask you to stop or leave. If you continue we ourselves will politely and calmly ask a Police officer to remove you.
We encourage all organizers to be open and talk with your local police and make clear to them that these events are family events and we will cooperate and work with them to remove anyone who incites aggression.
Please understand, we are not trying to be authoritarian but that we have a responsibility to create a peaceful event for our children, parents, grandparents and all attending.
Remember the world will be watching and we have an example to set. Violence would be seized upon by the media and Monsanto. They would use this as propaganda to discredit the movement and label us as eco-terrorists. This is not a joke we are standing up against one of the most powerful corporations that ever existed.
This is why we reiterate no violence of any kind will be tolerated. We know most of you know this but for the few who did not you do now. For the instigators you are not welcome and we stand firm united in NON-Violence.
While we will be speaking up against the politicians and the corporations we will not condone any comments or threats of aggression towards them. We will expose their crimes and demand justice and change of policy. We do not by any means condone any type of vigilantism . Our mission is to raise awareness, expose, and legally stop Monsanto, and their cronies, crimes against humanity. We would like to see GMOs Labeled and/or banned until they can without a doubt be proven safe. So far we have seen the opposite. GMOs are not safe. Monsanto is an unethical unmoral corporation and they have been committing crimes against humanity for decades.
This event is a platform to bring us together in Unity. From here we can work together to create a powerful base of grass roots activism . We encourage all to network together and continue to work towards supporting ballot initiatives that are in place to label GMOs or Ban them, and create initiatives that have not yet been created. Continue working together to expose politicians that serve Monsanto and promote politicians that stand with the people. We encourage all to create mailing lists and or FB groups where you can continue working together after the march and until we have reached our goals. You may want to bring an ipad and have everyone who is interest type in their emails so you have a ready digital email list to bring people together for future efforts. This event has created powerful momentum and its in our best interest to brainstorm Ideas on how we can keep the ball rolling.This is dangerous!
I will be posting this on other forums to demonstrate how some of the rhetoric here is intensely exclusive to those of us who do not adhere to pacifist principles. Also, if you are going to issue declarations please try to refrain from using ageist language such as “we must behave like adults not stoop to the level of violence” equating self defense or communities that are ridden with violence to childlike behavior or juvenile angst. An assumption which only enables and justifies the use of state violence against us.
One wonders what you mean by ‘bringing violent language’ to your event page. Does my questioning or challenging of the ‘tactical parameters’ you’ve outlined here amount to ‘violent language’? The tactic and language you are using- to appeal to the media and set an ‘example’ because you are not ‘joking’ is also very disrespectful of those who employ diverse tactics that are not strictly nonviolent, and are at times, directly more effective. Yet they are targeted, arrested, incarcerated and murdered. I assure you those who do take direct risks, and are then subsequently labeled eco-terrorists, are not joking.
All luck to you people. As long as your goals are within the confines of constructed legality, you will not be effective. You may achieve some awareness, appeal to some false status quo mass, gain some meaningless legislation, but the fundamental problems and systemic subordination will be left unaddressed. In all effect this is a very poorly written statement (clearly you were not being cognizent of more marginalized or less privileged perspectives) that very clearly aligns itself with the dominant police and mainstream narrative. Safety is not an excuse, considering it is the predominant excuse used by the state to ensure control and fascism.
The only reason you feel empowered to say these things about your event is because you have a permit, which gives you control over the space with the backing of the city. Please know that if you engage in this narrative at the expense of people who take more direct action because you disagree with their tactics, you should be aware that you are complicit in police terrorism against militants and you are no better. I will be sure not to be anywhere near your event, so feel free not to fearmonger about people who don’t abide to your ideology anymore than you already have. I think you should define what you mean by ‘instigate’, considering you are threatening people with police violence which will be noted and spread.
So you are aware this part “Please be warned if you are an instigator you will not be tolerated at our march and we our organizers will ask you to stop or leave. If you continue we ourselves will politely and calmly ask a Police officer to remove you. We encourage all organizers to be open and talk with your local police and make clear to them that these events are family events and we will cooperate and work with them to remove anyone who incites aggression.” very clearly illustrates that fascism is well on the rise with the mass complicit support of so called social justice advocates. State terrorism will be fought, it is not a matter of IF. it is a matter of WHEN.
So let’s be clear in no way by posting this are we saying that you should not go to the March Against Monsanto. This post is a critique written by a comrade in response to the official statement issued by the national page of MAM. The reason why we chose to post this is because this sort of rhetoric/fear mongering is not only divisive but dangerous.
But, please read and see for yourself. Monsanto is a threat to all living creatures on this planet, not just humans. So it is important that we stay unified on this front and respect each others rights to have diversity of tactics.
Please read and discuss!
The LA organizers have added their own amendment stating that they will not be calling the cops on anyone, Solidarity!
