Los Angeles Times: Nine arrested during ‘Occupy Monsanto’ protest in Oxnard
Posted: September 12th, 2012 | Filed under: Press | Tags: CA, California, Demonstration, Direct Action, LA Times, Los Angeles Times, Monsanto, Oxnard, Proposition 37, Protest, Seminis, Shutdown, Shutdown Monsanto, Subsidiary |
Nine protesters were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of trespassing after blocking access to a Monsanto seed distribution center in Oxnard, group organizers said.
Those arrested were part of a decentralized network of food activists and Occupy protesters, said Adam Eidenger, a spokesman for the Occupy Monsanto group.
Their aim is to protest Monsanto’s sales of genetically modified seeds, he said. They also sought to bring attention to Proposition 37, a ballot initiative set to come before California voters this fall.
The initiative, if passed, would require foods containing genetically modified materials to be labeled as such. Eidenger said the Occupy Monsanto group, however, is not affiliated with “Yes on 37,” the group urging voters to pass the measure.
About a dozen protesters arrived at Seminis Vegetable Seeds in Oxnard, a Monsanto subsidiary, Wednesday morning and blocked access to the facility, organizers said.
Eidenger said Wednesday’s protest kicks off several dozen planned events around the world to call attention to genetically modified foods.
A request for comment from Monsanto was not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.
Source: Los Angeles Times
