Police remove anti-gm demonstrators from Allianz Insurance offices in London
Andrew Wood | 14.10.2003 13:20 | Bio-technology | London
This morning, Tuesday 14 October, at 9.30am fifteen demonstrators, including some dressed as a corn cob and a cow, occupied the offices of Allianz Insurance[1]. Police were called and all but one of the demonstrators was removed about twenty minutes after the occupation began. One of the demonstrators met with a Director of Allianz and the demonstration ended peacefully without any arrests.
Tuesday 14 October
Press Release
Police remove anti-gm demonstrators from Allianz Insurance offices in London
This morning, Tuesday 14 October, at 9.30am fifteen demonstrators, including some dressed as a corn cob and a cow, occupied the offices of Allianz Insurance[1]. Police were called and all but one of the demonstrators was removed about twenty minutes after the occupation began. One of the demonstrators met with a Director of Allianz and the demonstration ended peacefully without any arrests.
Ann Jones, representing the demonstrators spoke with Martin Quigley, Director Claims and Client Services about their concerns. He agreed to report to the company’s headquarters in Germany and conceded that if an appointment had been requested by the demonstrators then it probably won’t have been granted.
Banners and music was played outside of the offices as the meeting between the company representative and Ann Jones was taking place.
A green glove was presented to Allianz, representing the intention of hundreds of people around the country to pull up GM crops if they are commercialised[2]. Anne Taylor explained this would seriously undermine Bayer's ability to profit from the sale of GM seeds and could have a detrimental impact on investors like Allianz.
Anna Jones, who took part in the occupation, said
"The Government's own public debate concluded that 86% of Britons do not want GM crops and the Government's own economic and scientific reviews showed that GM offers none of the benefits claimed by the biotech industry. With the known risks of cross-contamination and no liability in place we are here to warn Allianz that, in the current climate, investing in biotech companies is economically unviable."
Contact: Anne Jones 07810-638818
Editors Notes
[1] Allianz are the largest corporate shareholders of Bayer, who produce genetically modified crops including maize, often used to feed dairy cattle.
[2] For further details of the Green Gloves Pledge see
http://www.greengloves.org
Picture Editor Notes
Video footage of the occupation is available from freelance film maker Ben Leary on 07956 334 831
Press Release
Police remove anti-gm demonstrators from Allianz Insurance offices in London
This morning, Tuesday 14 October, at 9.30am fifteen demonstrators, including some dressed as a corn cob and a cow, occupied the offices of Allianz Insurance[1]. Police were called and all but one of the demonstrators was removed about twenty minutes after the occupation began. One of the demonstrators met with a Director of Allianz and the demonstration ended peacefully without any arrests.
Ann Jones, representing the demonstrators spoke with Martin Quigley, Director Claims and Client Services about their concerns. He agreed to report to the company’s headquarters in Germany and conceded that if an appointment had been requested by the demonstrators then it probably won’t have been granted.
Banners and music was played outside of the offices as the meeting between the company representative and Ann Jones was taking place.
A green glove was presented to Allianz, representing the intention of hundreds of people around the country to pull up GM crops if they are commercialised[2]. Anne Taylor explained this would seriously undermine Bayer's ability to profit from the sale of GM seeds and could have a detrimental impact on investors like Allianz.
Anna Jones, who took part in the occupation, said
"The Government's own public debate concluded that 86% of Britons do not want GM crops and the Government's own economic and scientific reviews showed that GM offers none of the benefits claimed by the biotech industry. With the known risks of cross-contamination and no liability in place we are here to warn Allianz that, in the current climate, investing in biotech companies is economically unviable."
Contact: Anne Jones 07810-638818
Editors Notes
[1] Allianz are the largest corporate shareholders of Bayer, who produce genetically modified crops including maize, often used to feed dairy cattle.
[2] For further details of the Green Gloves Pledge see
http://www.greengloves.org Picture Editor Notes
Video footage of the occupation is available from freelance film maker Ben Leary on 07956 334 831
Andrew Wood
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Thanks for that...
14.10.2003 14:03
FYI, GM isn't simply about what you might or might not eat and what it might or might not do to you. GM is about potential control of the food chain, corporate influence on democratic processes, further social upheaval for the worlds farming and rural community, the effect on biodivesity and the ethics of this massive shift in human influence on evolution (or creation). In short, if you are looking at GM as a food 'scare' issue - you are not paying attention.
jo
Lots of problems
14.10.2003 14:41
I believe that most people realise that there are some benefits to GM crops, but when the patents and entire methods of cultivating these "super plants" lie in the hands of monsanto and bayer, then surely you must realise that they have one motive at heart -Maximum profit- rather than "feeding the world" as most GM companies state as their aim.
I agree with jo that the main problem with GM crops is the commercial control of the world's food, but also the long term effects on both the consumers of such GM products as well as the environment in which they are grown should be taken into consideration. it is true that we have been consuming plants that have been "selectively bred" for many thousands of years, But there is a huge difference between A tomato plant with the best cropping qualities of two parent plants, than a tomato plant with a DNA sequence from a small rodent spliced into it.
Basically, i do not trust this potentially useful resource when it is placed into the hands of one or two massive corporations who soley exist to make their shareholders more and more wealthy. GM crops will not save the world but simply make a few priviliged individuals even more wealthy, and further tighten the control that capitalism has on our lives.
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