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Bayer hit by AGM protests in UK and Germany

Nieder mit Bayer! | 25.04.2003 13:41 | Bio-technology

Bayer Cropscience's UK HQ has today been blockaded by activists. Simultaneously, British anti-GM activists disrupted Bayer's AGM in Köln, Germany. Here's an account of the German end of things.

At 9 am (CET) Activists outside the AGM began distributing leaflets, festooning the place with a banner, placards and balloons and announcing that a blockade was taking place in Britain at that moment. Meanwhile, others managed to get past the tight security and positioned themselves in the main hall. With 7000 shareholders at the AGM, many shareholders cannot enter the large hall where the board sits and have to watch by video in another huge room downstairs. One activist stayed in this room.

During the introductory speeches, which take at least 90 minutes, the activists picked their moment, and, taking turns, let off stink bombs, strew leaflets around, and informed surrounding shareholders of the British action, told Bayer to get out of GM crops, and shouted their objections to agricultural biotechnology, before being removed by security guards and held in a police van for some time. Taking a cue from the commotion in the large hall, the activist in the video room also announced the British action and voiced her objection to GM crops. After being removed, one activist nearly succeeded in getting back into the event again but was rumbled by a security guard at the last minute.

Along with anti-GM activists, there were the critical shareholders from the Coalition Against Bayer-Dangers, a representative of the parents of the 24 children killed by Bayer's pesticide in Peru, and protestors drawing attention to Bayer's being awarded the Big Brother award. Interestingly, Bayer felt it necessary to devote a part of the summing up of the year to responding to some of CBG's criticisms of the company.

Nieder mit Bayer!
- Homepage: http://www.bayerhazard.com, www.cbgnetwork.de

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