MST begins National Campaign of Struggle with land occupations across the country

The Movement carried out 24 occupations in 11 Brazilian states, mobilizing this Monday (April 15) more than 20 thousand Landless families

The National Campaign of Struggles in Defense of Agrarian Reform began this Monday (April 15th) with the motto “Occupy for Food Brazil”. The Campaign runs until Friday (April 19), with a set of actions in all regions of the country to demand the implementation of Agrarian Reform, in memory of the 28th anniversary of the deaths of the martyrs of Eldorado do Carajás and celebrates 40 years of MST struggles.

To date, the Campaign has carried out 30 different actions, in 14 states across the country, mobilizing more than 20 thousand Landless families. Of this total, the MST carried out 24 land occupations in 11 states.

Land occupations and new camps were set up in Sergipe, Pernambuco, São Paulo, Goiás, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraná, Pará, Distrito Federal, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia. In addition, other activities took place, such as the construction of the Camp in Defense of Agrarian Reform, in Maceió (AL), the holding of a Popular Assembly in Maranhão, occupation at the National Institute for Colonization of Agrarian Reform (Incra) in Pernambuco, demonstration in Sergipe and a Public Hearing at Incra in Santa Catarina, the continuation of the State March in Defense of Agrarian Reform in Bahia, and the Pedagogical Camp for Landless Youth, at Curva do “S”, in Eldorado do Carajás (PA).

The land occupations emphasize the importance of Agrarian Reform as an urgent and necessary alternative for the production of healthy food in Brazil, focusing on the eradication of hunger in the countryside and in the city, guaranteeing the country's development, in the agrarian, social, economic context and political. It is worth highlighting that we are in a situation in which the budget aimed at obtaining land and basic rights in the countryside, such as infrastructure, credit for production, housing, among others, is for two consecutive years the lowest in the last 20 years.

In a letter to the Brazilian people, released this Monday (April 15), the Landless Movement reaffirms the legitimate right to fight for access to land and demands that the social function of land be respected.

“We fight, because 105 thousand families are camped and we demand that the Federal Government comply with Article 184 of the Federal Constitution, expropriate unproductive large estates and democratize access to land, settling everyone who wants to work and produce food for the people”. And the document continues: “we fight for Agrarian Reform so that the land fulfills its social function: producing healthy food for the Brazilian people and taking care of nature.”

Land of People

The occupations took place on the same day that the Federal Government launched the Terra da Gente Program. The initiative is part of a new strategy to expand and streamline Agrarian Reform. The announcement of the program was made by the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by the Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Paulo Teixeira, and by the president of the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra), César Aldrighi, in a ceremony.

According to the program's strategy, the estimate is that 295 thousand farming families will benefit, across the country, by 2026.

Ceres Hadich, from the National Coordination of the MST, stated that the announcement of the massive resumption of the creation of Settlement Projects in Brazil through the program, “is in line with the two main priorities of the Lula Government and the fulfillment of the social function of land, which are fighting hunger and caring for the environment.”

She explained that settling is more than distributing or regularizing land, “it is about guaranteeing the right of access to land and all public policies that allow the full development of people and communities in the countryside.”

In this sense, Hadich draws attention to a set of demands that are repressed, such as water, electricity, roads, schools, health centers and technical assistance. “These demands are basic rights that the State must resolve. It is also essential that the National Supply Company, Conab, is strengthened and takes the lead in the resumption of supply policies, stock formation and price regulation and that its budget is restored so that all Brazilian people have access to food, at affordable prices. fair and of quality.”

Conflict

In São Paulo, after the occupation of the Mariana farm, in the municipality of Campinas, the police force repressed the families and evicted the occupation, with indiscriminate use of repressive force. The families headed towards the municipal headquarters to seek negotiation about the situation of the camped families. At this time, the Municipal Guard blocked the entrance to the Municipal Palace, preventing people from entering and leaving.

Still in São Paulo, in the municipality of Agudos, a Military Police helicopter flew over the newly created camp to create terror and intimidate the Landless families there.

In Rio de Janeiro, on Monday morning (April 15), more than ten vehicles from the 8th Military Police Battalion surrounded the Josué de Castro settlement, in Campos dos Goytacazes. The police intimidated the settled families, using drones and signal jammers. The settlement was created by Incra in 2007 and is now fully regularized.

There was also conflict in Goiás, with brutal action by the Military Police, and in the Federal District and surrounding areas.