By Anne Sewell – Digital Journal, 20 May 2013 | Source

On May 25, 2013, there will be a worldwide March against Monsanto, protesting the giant pesticide company’s attempts to take over the world’s food supply. Vandana Shiva speaks about the movement against Monsanto and why it is necessary.

On May 25, 2013, people across the world will be hitting the streets to stand up against the agricultural pesticide company, Monsanto.

Please note that in the video, the date of March 25 is mentioned in error – the correct date of the March against Monsanto is May 25.

Dr Vandana Shiva says, “The march against Monsanto is inspired by the love for freedom and democracy, the love for the Earth, the soil, the seed. And it is our deep love for life on Earth in freedom that makes all of us march against Monsanto and we stand in solidarity with everyone, from the Seed Freedom Movement catalyzed by Navdanya.”

Shiva goes on to say that Monsanto has become the center stage for the destruction of the world’s seeds, our diversity, our food and our freedom.
Shiva explains that in the 1980’s Monsanto started imposing laws, drafting patents on life, even though life cannot be invented and therefore is not patentable.

More recently the Supreme Court of the USA has upheld Monsanto’s totally illegitimate patent right on seed in the Bowman vs Monsanto case. Further to this Monsanto has written a “Monsanto Protection Act” making the company immune from any court action, whether to protect diversity, to prevent contamination or to protect the rights of organic seed producers.
She explains that India has a very strong law, under the Environment Protection Act, predating any other laws and protocols, which is meant to regulate GMOs. India used the law to stop the BT aubergine, or brinjal. Shiva speaks of an act that Monsanto tried to pass in India, which would effectively throw citizens in jail for challenging GMOs.

Shiva speaks of the European Commission, which has become “an extension of Monsanto,” trying to bring about yet another Monsanto Protection Act to make it illegal for European gardeners and farmers to have or save their own seeds.
She states that this is a new form of fascism, a new form of dictatorship over all life itself, and its diversity. Unlike Nazism, its not like controlling one religion or one race, it is wanting to outlaw all diversity of all life on Earth and also the rights of the food producers.
Shiva brings up the huge onslaught by Monsanto against any labeling of GMO products in the USA, saying that this is part of this Monsanto dictatorship.

This is why the March against Monsanto is a march for freedom. And this march is not just for the 25th. Shiva states that we will have to carry on this fight for every day of our lives as we plant and save our seeds. She refers to us standing up with our “gardens of resistance”, growing healthy food, nurturing the soil and the seed, thanking the ancestors of those seeds and the future generations.

“Handing over to our future generations the care and custody of our precious diversity. Let us plant gardens of resistance against this new form of fascism. We will set the Earth in her diversity, and people with their diversities, free.”
Shiva concludes: “This dictatorship must end. The March against Monsanto is a call to end the dictatorship over seeds, over life, over food and over our freedom.”
For anyone wishing to participate, a list of the cities and countries participating in the March against Monsanto can be viewed here.