Genetics Protests

Manchester

On 4th February 3 Manchester genetics campaigners removed Geneticaly Modified food from Marks & Spencers' shelves. They wrote to the store in advance outlining their motivations for the action; and their plans, explaining that they felt that responsibility had fallen to them to get GMOs out of the public domain.

One of the campaigners managed to remove crisps and cheese containing GM soya and tortilla chips containing Bt maize and deliver these to the Environmental Health Department in the city council. After explaining that no, she hadn't paid for them as that would be legitimising their right to exist, she explained that she wanted the products investigated and treated as a biohazard. The council employee dutifully bagged up the products and started filling in forms.

The other two protesters replaced some GM products with organic alternatives before being removed from the shop by security guards and so joined in the leafleting outside. There was a police presence but no arrests.

Marks & Spencers held a board meeting when they were told about the proposed action but unsurprisingly came up with only a 'limited and token' position state ment.

London

A similar action took place in London, at Sainsburies on Camden Road. Sainsburies were picked to highlight the connections between big business and government (David Sainsbury being a government minister). A 'biohazard waste dump' was created outside the store out of planks of wood and a big plastic bin. One person then entered the store, filled a trolley up with 96 labelled items of GM food, and walked straight out again. He joined others outside and emptied the food into the waste dump, where it remained until the police came along 40 min utes later and nicked two people for theft.

Lots of shoppers joined in as they passed by, highlighting the huge public concern about this issue at the moment.

Contact: 0181 8090739.