Access
This article is part of Nature's premium content.
Please note this is News in Brief, and so will be a short article.
Published online 31 October 2007 | Nature 450, 14 (2007) | doi:10.1038/450014a
News in Brief
Syngenta shoot-out in Brazil leaves two dead
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Please note this is News in Brief, and so will be a short article.
Comments
Reader comments are usually moderated after posting. If you find something offensive or inappropriate, you can speed this process by clicking 'Report this comment' (or, if that doesn't work for you, email redesign@nature.com). For more controversial topics, we reserve the right to moderate before comments are published.
It is inaccurate to define the members of the Landless Workers Movement as "activists protesting against genetically modified crops". Their purpose is occupation of unproductive land, but since they are indoctrinated against GMO products (for reasons that may go beyond scientific discussion), GM crops became a common target. It would be also worth adding that the members of the movement are not authorized as well to use weapons.
The activists who invaded the Syngenta farm in the state of Parana belong to the same organization which also destroyed in 2001 and in 2006 a Monsanto experimental farm and an Aracruz plant research facility, respectively, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where also an important, university biotechnology research center was destroyed by criminal fire in 2003. Official, Brazilian authorities have been sofar quite permissive towards such attacks against biotechnology research institutions, public and private.