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Protesters worldwide slam US-based biotech giant Monsanto

People take part in a march to protest against US biotechnology group Monsanto in Toulouse, France, on May 21, 2016. (AFP photo)

Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in nearly 50 countries around the globe to protest against the American mega producer company of genetically engineered (GE) seeds Monsanto, saying the corporation’s modified food and chemical herbicides pose grave threats to health.

The protesters took to the streets in hundreds of cities around the world on Saturday and demanded an immediate ban on the production of the multinational biotech and agribusiness. They said the company works unethically in its development and implementation of genetically tailored seeds and pesticides.

They also demanded an immediate ban on the production of the US-based multinational biotech and agribusiness.

A protester holds a placard reading “Monsanto criminal company” during a march to protest against biotechnology giant Monsanto in Paris on May 21, 2016. ©AFP

According to the worldwide protests’ coordinator, the March Against Monsanto (MAM) group, people in around 500 cities held peaceful protests against the corporation’s policies and called for the promotion of clean food.

Young environmentalists make signs during a protest against US biotech giant Monsanto on May 21, 2016, in Montevideo, Uruguay. ©AFP

The protesters, in various countries, from the United States, Japan and France to Mexico, China, Costa Rica and Canada, marched through the main streets of cities holding signs, placards and banners on the hazards of Monsanto’s genetically-modified organisms (GMO) for health.

Protesters demonstrate against the US biotech giant Monsanto in the Plaza de la Cultura in the Costa Rican capital on May 21, 2016, urging people to sign a petition demanding labeling of transgenic products. ©AFP

Demonstrators in Mexico carried signs reading “Monsanto, get out of Mexican corn,” and “Without corn there’s no country,” while the slogan for people in Canada was “Stronger than Monsanto!”

Chinese demonstrators showed up at the Monsanto Beijing HQ to protest against the products of the US biotech giant, on May 21, 2016.

The giant corporation with 22,000 employees across 61 countries, however, strongly rejected the allegations about the possible dangers of its production, saying it only “makes a more balanced meal accessible for everyone.”

A woman holds a banner as about one hundred people march to protest against Biotechnology giant Monsanto at the North Beach in Durban, South Africa, on May 21, 2016. ©AFP

“Our goal is to help farmers do this in a more sustainable way using fewer resources and having a smaller impact on the environment. We know people have different points of view on these topics, and it's important that they're able to express and share them,” said Monsanto spokeswoman Charla Lord on Saturday.

A man holds a placard reading “Monsanto guilty of ecocide” as protesters lay on the ground during a march to protest against Biotechnology giant Monsanto in Paris, France, on May 21, 2016. ©AFP

In recent years, it has been revealed that the corporation’s products could cause severe health problems such as cancer.

Another reason for recent worldwide protests against the biotech company is that it sells a weed-killer that contains a highly dangerous chemical.


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