Jonny cycles through Edinburgh on anti-gm pilgrimage
ab | 05.10.2003 14:21 | Bio-technology | Ecology
The progress of Jonnys journey can be followed via his website.Map of his planned tour, by Sheffield IMC.
2 activists from Totness,see Westcountry Indymedia are on the way, and 2 other activists have been [ 1,2] passing by Bayer and Monsanto, reported on Cambridge Indymedia. In total 20 pilgrims, including 73 years old Mary Keynes, are cycling or walking to London to raise awareness for the issue of GM food and crops and to participate in the Tractor and Trolley Demonstration.
For more background information: [Bio-technology special page,LABB leaflet, Biotech Indymedia].
Jonny arrives at Usher Hall
the LABB group
Mark Ballard (MSP) center, talks to other grassroot anti-GM campaigners
preparing for the bicycle trip to Carlops with Jonny - memorising the route
the cyclists assemble
everyone was eager to take off, so speeches were scrapped
the group is impatiently waiting for its take-off
pushing off to Calops/Peebles/Jedburgh
Jonny rolling off- the coffin is hand-made by him!
"My reasons for doing this green pilgrimage are several: I am publicly showing my support for a sustainable and GM-Free Britain along with many in Scotland and the rest of the British Isles who want the same,whether or not they are travelling to London like me;
I am joining in the national mass rally in London on the 13th of October but on the way am visiting communities and public places to raise awareness of the Green Gloves Pledge to take direct action if the GM crops are legalised this year in the UK;
Thirdly this journey is a celebration of the success of the anti-GM campaign by ordinary people in Britain." [Jonnys full statement]
About 20 people met at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh to support and accompany Jonny on his cycle ride to London, by joining todays part of the tour to Calops/Jedburgh.
Present were several initiatives including Spokes (Lothian Cycle Campaign) and LABB (Lothian and Borders Biocheck) handing out information material about GM modified crops and biotechnology.
On Sunday, Jonny was starting off at Queensferry in the morning, meeting up got a bit delayed by 2 punctures to be fixed by Jonny for continuing his trip, so everybody was eager to push off and media interviews and speeches got cut in favour to achieve the set goal for the day.
On Thursday, Jonny reached Sheffield, having difficulties with his knee.
For more background information about GM check out these websites:
[Lothian Cycle Campaign, GM-Free Scotland, statement by "Friends of the Earth" about the governments policy on GM-food, Lothian and Borders Biocheck]
ab
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Good Work Jonny
09.10.2003 03:42
In their words:
“This Hikoi has been born out of a heartfelt need to find a way to protect our seeds. Seeds that represent the cumulative experience and wisdom of our ancestors, and are our gift for future generations. The release of genetically engineered organisms into the field in Aotearoa, will take away our ability to ensure our seeds are safe.”
Joseph Gelfer
e-mail:
joseph@gelfer.net
Hey! this ride might spread superweeds!!
10.10.2003 12:34
'Study reveals first evidence that GM superweeds exist
By Steve Connor Science Editor
10 October 2003
Cross-pollination between GM plants and their wild relatives is inevitable and could create hybrid superweeds resistant to the most powerful weedkillers, according to the first national study of how genes pass from crops to weeds ......'
ram
Huh
17.10.2003 03:00
The opposition to GM comes from a sort of modern-day puritanical guilt. The conviction that human beings are inately bad and should be ashamed of anything they do for their own advancement. One gets the feeling that the anti-GM campaigners aren't interested in being open-minded. They've made up their minds: GM crops are BAD, and that's that. Nobody is even allowed to *investigate* the field or plant *trial* crops to pursue scientific enquiry into the matter. No - GM crops are bad, just because they are, we should have no trials or investigation and go back to 17th century-era subsidence farming please (AKA Organic farming) and lets not talk about how much more expensive that will make food and how much vastly more land it will take due to lower yields and the increased possibility of famine and, and.. Oh, and lets certainly not talk about the immense advantages GM crops could have in the third world, where they can be planted in nitrogen poor soils and used to grow cheap vaccines or whatever.
Utterly authoritarian, but what do we expect from the left? Do we expect them to recognise the rights of others? No! What we expect is for them to start demanding the use of transgressive government force to make everybody comply to their pet prejudices. And this after an article attacking the government for wanting to force suicidal people to take medication - what a joke! Be consistent people, are you anti-authoritarian or authoritarian or what?
The saddest thing is, the left wants to disassociate itself from the 65 million dead in China and 20 million in Russia from awful collectivised farming policies, and then they keep on repeating the same old mistakes by yearning for some sort of authoritarian socialist farming system whereby technology isn't allowed to progress at all. No credibility on this issue at all, I'm afraid.
YUK.
bc
e-mail:
tinyp3a@yahoo.com