Ninety Nine magazine - September 2016

Challenging the power of the 1%

Issue 06 - September 2016

Monsanto on trial Holding big agribusiness to account at the peoples’ tribunal

Also in this issue rexit’s impact on global B justice campaigning The inhumanity of the EU-Turkey refugee deal Life inside the ‘United Soya Republic’

ISSUE 06: September 2016 03 Campaign news 06 Global news 08 Seeds of destruction: the Monsanto Tribunal 10 Seed funding: Monsanto vs farmers in Africa 12 Brexit – what next?

15 Global Justice Now supporters 16 Life within the United Soya Republic 18 One in, one out? The EU-Turkey refugee deal 19 Reviews

Ninety-Nine is published three times a year by Global Justice Now Global Justice Now campaigns for a world where resources are controlled by the many, not the few.

We champion social movements and propose democratic alternatives to the rule of the 1%. Our activists and groups in towns and cities around the UK work in solidarity with those at the sharp end of poverty and injustice.

Ninety-Nine magazine, Global Justice Now 66 Offley Road, London SW9 0LS 020 7820 4900 • offleyroad@globaljustice.org.uk • globaljustice.org.uk Editor: Kevin Smith Design: Matt Bonner www.revoltdesign.org Cover illustration: © Jacob V Joyce Printed on 100% recycled paper.

Get Ninety-Nine delivered to your door three times a year when you become a member of Global Justice Now. Go to globaljustice.org.uk/join

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Planting new seeds Aisha Dodwell Campaigns and policy officer Monsanto will be put on trial in The Hague this October. But it’s not the international criminal court which is putting them there – this Hague trial has been organised by civil society groups from across the world who want the seeds and chemicals company held to account for its human rights violations, environmental destruction and damage caused to human health.

This international people’s tribunal against Monsanto, which Global Justice Now is supporting, is emblematic of the battle for control of our food system, an issue we have been campaigning on for many years.

From our resistance to the New Alliance, a disastrous aid scheme that allows agribusiness – including Monsanto – to grab an ever greater chunk of African markets, to our opposition to the relicensing of the “probably carcinogenic” pesticide Roundup (glyphosate), we have been part of the struggle to stand up to the power of agribusiness.

Our vision for a food future is one where farmers and people have control, where principles of food sovereignty are adopted to ensure that we are all able to access healthy nutritious food that has been produced in a Our vision for a sustainable and just way. This food future is one is a vision shared by our allies across the world, including in where farmers and Bangladesh where the fight people have control, against multinational seed companies has led to activists where principles of and farmers opening one of food sovereignty the world’s largest community seed banks. We are lucky to are adopted. be hosting Farida Akhtar, one of the founders of this seed bank, for a speaker tour in October, meaning many Global Justice Now supporters will be able to hear from her in person.

Farida will also be travelling to the Monsanto people’s tribunal with us, to deliver evidence alongside plaintiffs from across the globe. But this story of uncontrolled corporate power goes beyond Monsanto and beyond the food system: it’s a phenomenon which dominates so many areas of our lives, and is at the heart of our struggle for global justice.

From trade deals such as CETA or TTIP that allow businesses to sue governments, to the use of foreign aid projects as investment opportunities or to privatise public services, we are all too familiar with corporations abusing their power and undermining our democratic systems. This is why we are calling for legal restraints on corporations and supporting the growing campaign for a binding UN treaty that holds corporations legally accountable for their actions.

ough on TTIP! STOP PRESS – Breakthr our website for more info. to be abandoning TTIP. See

EU bows to pressure on ‘probably carcinogenic’ glyphosate The chemical glyphosate is not a household name, but it is found in Monsanto’s best-selling weed killer Roundup. Though it is widely used in gardens, parks and playgrounds, the World Health Organisation classifies Glyphosate as probably causing cancer. Together with campaigners across Europe we fought against an EU proposal to relicense the chemical for 15 years.

In addition to our supporters emailing the UK government and supporting European-wide petitions, Global Justice Now sent over 1,000 ‘brandalism’ packs across the country. The packs contained spoof Roundup labels warning that the product ‘probably causes cancer’ and that Monsanto’s products ’degrade farmers’ power’. Activists wrapped the labels around bottles of Roundup in supermarkets and shared images on social media. Public pressure led to three failed attempts to decide on the relicensing, culminating in a decision in June to make the relicense temporary for 12-18 months.

Although this is not an outright ban, it is a marked improvement on an unrestricted 15-year licence. Our activists played a key role in pushing the needs of citizens against the corporate interests of agribusiness companies like Monsanto, who make enormous profits from this toxic chemical.

ent seems

If you liked TTIP, you’ll love CETA Whatever happens with Brexit, the Canada-EU trade deal CETA will affect us, as the timetable would have it implemented well before any UK exit from the EU. We have a fight on our hands to stop it this Autumn, which will focus on getting MEPs to vote against it in the European parliament.

The good news is that the European Council has conceded that all 27 national parliaments have to ratify CETA before it is officially signed off – rather than them being bound by the decision of the EU as a whole. That means any one country could upset the whole applecart if they fail to ratify it. The bad news is that ‘provisional implementation’ is not off the table – that would mean the treaty would come into effect as soon as the European parliament passed it, in the expectation that national parliaments would ratify it. The British government is supporting this, and has indicated it would like to see us sign up to CETA as part of our Brexit negotiations.

We have produced action cards, an updated, postreferendum briefing and a fold-out leaflet highlighting the worst aspects of CETA. If you would like to order any of these materials go to globaljustice.org.uk/CETA

Illustration by Jacob V Joyce

opean political establishm As we went to press, the Eur

2016 Ninety-Nine 3

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Devon festival a hit with activists Around 200 people made it down to north Devon in July for Global Justice Now’s Take Back Our World festival.

Held in the grounds of Tapeley Park near Barnstaple, the festival combined political discussions, creative workshops and some fantastic live performances from musicians and performance poets.

The main marquee was packed to hear journalist Paul Mason talk about the arguments in his latest book, Postcapitalism. Festival-goers also heard from a wide range of activists involved in new progressive movements in Spain, London and Scotland, from Focus on the Global South’s Dorothy Guerrero and from Green MEP for the South West Molly Scott-Cato.

The critically-acclaimed play by Anders Lustgarten, Lampedusa, was also performed twice. Focusing on the experiences of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, it elicited an emotional response from the audience.

Trade, food sovereignty, debt and climate justice were also covered in various discussion sessions, while participants also had a chance to learn about creative tactics such as ‘brandalism’ and using theatre skills in campaign actions.

Lots of people told us they really appreciated the opportunity to take a full weekend to learn so much and get to know other people in such beautiful surroundings, with 30 people joining Global Justice Now as a result.

A workshop on debt at the Take Back Our World festival.

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New Alliance protest in Brussels.

Agribusiness aid scheme slammed in European parliament The European parliament voted overwhelmingly to approve a damning report on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (New Alliance) in June. This is a massive blow to the UK-backed ‘aid’ scheme that facilitates increasing corporate control over food and farming in African countries.

The report criticises the New Alliance for favouring large-scale farming at the expense of small-scale farmers, as well as the flawed assumption that corporate investment automatically addresses food security. The report calls for food sovereignty and agroecology, strong provisions to tackle land grabs and asserts the right of African countries to protect their agriculture through tariff and tax regimes. It also urges the G8 not to push GM crops in African countries.

Together with our allies across Europe, we had been campaigning for MEPs to vote for this European parliament report, which is the most scathing critique of the New Alliance so far. We are now calling on the International Development Committee in the UK parliament to undertake its own inquiry into the UK’s support of corporate agriculture and the New Alliance.

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Monsanto on trial: Speaker tour and photo exhibition Monsanto – one of the world’s largest seed and chemical companies – is at the forefront of pushing a model of agriculture that takes control away from small-scale farmers and causes extensive environmental damage. This October, civil society groups around the world are coming together to hold Monsanto to account in a symbolic people’s tribunal in The Hague.

We are bringing one of the key witnesses in the tribunal, Farida Akhtar, to the UK, before she travels to The Hague to give testimony. Farida is one of the founders of a Bangladeshi community-based research and advocacy organisation, that has set up one of the biggest community seed banks in the world.

UK audiences will be able to hear Farida’s story on the impact of Monsanto on small-scale farmers in Bangladesh. The speaker tour will go to five locations (London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Edinburgh) in the first two weeks of October and will be accompanied by a photo exhibition, which graphically documents the impact of corporate-controlled agriculture on communities in South Asia.

For more details go to globaljustice.org.uk/monsantotrial

CALLING TIME ON CORPORATE CRIMES Every day, irresponsible multinational companies exploit workers, destroy the environment and devastate communities through extraction, often while avoiding tax. Corporations are able to do this with almost complete impunity because they have seized unprecedented influence over governments and decision makers.

The people’s tribunal against Monsanto is an inspiring example of activists fighting back against corporate power, holding them to account for their human rights violations.

Unfortunately however, people’s tribunals have no legal force.

But for the first time in history there’s an opportunity to hold corporations to account under international human rights law.

The proposed UN treaty on transnational corporations and human rights is a process that would go some way to protect people from irresponsible businesses and ensure that the next corporation that faces a tribunal does so in front of a formal court, with enforceable ramifications, rather than a symbolic people’s trial.

So far, the UK government has tried to block this UN process. Join us in calling on the UK government to support the UN Treaty – a historic opportunity to ensure corporations are held to account for their human rights violations.

People around the world do not have access to justice in the face of corporate recklessness. This is why we need to have a binding treaty on business and human rights. Please tell the government that we want the UK to support a binding treaty.

© UBINIG

globaljustice.org.uk/UNtrial

Farida Akhtar negotiates with the police during a farming protest in Bangladesh.

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GLOBAL NEWS MOVEMENT NEWS

© REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

Turkish coup welcomed by president amidst widespread crackdown

Turkish military stand guard near Taksim Square after the attempted coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described the failed military coup in Turkey as “a gift from god”, creating fears that he will use the crackdown on opponents as an opportunity to push for a strict authoritarian regime.

Since the attempt to oust Mr Erdoğan from power in July, tens of thousands

of people, including teachers, judges and police, have been suspended or placed under investigation. At least 246 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured.

Turkish officials say that the failed coup was staged by a faction of the military supporting Turkish Islamic

scholar, Fethullah Gülen. Gülen has denied any involvement.

The co-president of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, called for an end to authoritarian policies and urged the public to mobilise against further military coups.

Brazil’s president suspended from office by corrupt senate Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, has been suspended from her duties after the senate voted 5522 in favour of her impeachment.

The leader of the Workers’ Party is facing a six month long trial on charges of manipulating government accounts. She has been replaced by interim president Michel Temer and his centre-right cabinet.

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Temer’s cabinet includes seven ministers accused of accepting bribes in a scandal involving the state-run oil company, Petrobas.

So far two ministers of the interim cabinet have lost their posts after leaked tapes confirmed their involvement in the scandal.

In a public statement denouncing the suspension of Rousseff, the

Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) said, “this is an institutional and anti-democratic coup that disrespects the will of 54 million voters and was orchestrated by the most conservative sectors of society, particularly the neoliberal business sector, subservient to the interests of US companies”.

GLOBAL MOVEMENT GLOBAL NEWS

Activists at Asia-Europe People’s Forum demand justice More than 700 civil society activists from across two continents attended the 11th Asia-Europe People’s Forum in July in Mongolia. The event, held every two years, is a rare opportunity for activists from Asia and Europe to come together to discuss common challenges and struggles. The formal Final Declaration set out a bold statement against an array of injustices like land grabbing and tax avoidance, and behind the scenes topics as diverse as Brexit and migration were discussed.

Land grab in Brazil stopped by grassroots movements Grassroots campaigners and community organisers have scored a big victory in Brazil as the state court ruled that a businessman who sold land to a US pension fund giant acquired the land illegally. The ruling prevents the eviction of thousands of small-scale farmers who have been living on the 306,000 acres of land in Piauí. The prosecution is now considering filing criminal charges against the businessman over land grabbing.

Another Honduran indigenous rights campaigner murdered Just months after the murder of Berta Cáceres, fellow Honduran indigenous rights campaigner Lasbia Yaneth Urquhart has been killed. Her body was found in a rubbish dump about 100 miles west of the capital Tegucigalpa. Like Cáceres, Urquía spent years campaigning against the construction of the Agua Zarca dam. In a period of five years, more than 100 human rights campaigners have been killed in Honduras.

Tanzania and India challenge corporate-focused trade models Tanzania and India are refusing to renew trade deals with EU countries, criticising them for allowing big business more power.

In an attempt to minimise tax dodging by corporations, India recently moved to cancel up to 57 of its 84 bilateral investment treaties. The list of countries India has terminated agreements with includes the UK, France, Spain and Germany. Remaining countries have been requested to clarify ambiguities in the treaty texts before a renewal of the treaties will be considered.

Commenting on corporate tax

avoidance, Nirmala Sitharam, India’s minister for commerce, stated that, “the number of cases (or disputes) arising out of earlier investment treaties based on old text is shocking”.

Tanzania announced that it will not sign Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), allowing the East African Community member countries to trade directly with EU countries. The decision is a bid to protect local industries by refusing to turn smaller economies into international markets for richer countries in the EU.

Ceasefire announced between Colombian government and rebel group the FARC © REUTERS/Fredy Builes

NEWS SHORTS

A woman holds a picture of a relative in a nationwide protest against the kidnapping of people by FARC rebels.

After 60 years of conflict, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government have announced a definitive bilateral ceasefire. The war grew out of brutal state violence against Colombia’s peasantry in the 1940s and ‘50s. The peace talks between the two began in 2012 and mark the culmination of a bilateral process of deescalation which they entered last year.

The decision was reached only a couple of months after millions of Colombians took to the streets in a national strike to demand a peaceful outcome. The demonstration

saw students and women-led organisations as well as small-scale farmers and teachers coming together to demand social and environmental justice.

Widespread abuses such as sexual violence, extortion, kidnapping and land mines have forced almost 7 million people from their homes since the start of the conflict. Colombia, surpassed only by Syria, has the second largest number of internally displaced people.

A vote on the final agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels will be decided by means of a public referendum.

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MONSANTO ON TRIAL

Seeds of destruction Dr VANDANA SHIVA looks at the charge sheet against Monsanto ahead of the People’s Tribunal at the Hague © John Vizcaino

In just 100 years, the chemicals and technologies of war-based corporations, which produced and profited from the chemicals that killed millions of people during two world wars, continue to kill. They are wiping out millions of species by spreading poisonous agrichemicals, destroying our ecosystem, poisoning the entire web of life and are taking over every aspect of our lives for financial profit….

Life, society and democracy are under threat. We refuse to allow this future to unfold. We love the earth, we will protect its diversity, and defend its citizens’ rights.

The American life-sciences company, Monsanto, has come to be seen as one of the most dangerous corporations on the planet. It has earned this reputation through a

history of producing products toxic to humans and the environment, as well as well-documented manipulation of scientific evidence, disingenuous PR efforts and applying relentless political pressure worldwide to promote its products.

Multinational corporations such as Monsanto rarely face legal action that fundamentally challenges the nature of their activities. This allows them to engage in appalling behaviours with relative impunity. The Monsanto Tribunal, to be held in The Hague from 14 - 16 October, seeks to redress this fact. The simple, yet ambitious, idea of a ‘citizens’ tribunal’ draws on international law to assess the allegations made against Monsanto, evaluate the damage it has caused and help the victims find redress.

© Kara n Vaid - Gree npe

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ace

THE CHARGES AGAINST MONSANTO A team of lawyers and scholars are preparing briefs to assess whether Monsanto has violated the right to a healthy environment, the right to food, or the right to health and academic freedom. These rights are enshrined by, among others, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2011 Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which define society’s expectations vis-à-vis businesses.

They will further address Monsanto’s alleged complicity in war crimes for supplying herbicides to the US military for Operation Ranch Hand during the Vietnam War (see below). This will be considered under the Rome Statute, which allows the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction to try alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

The court will lastly consider whether Monsanto is guilty of ecocide. This concept, which is gaining currency in international law, is understood as “causing serious damage or destroying the environment so as to significantly and durably alter the global commons or ecosystem services upon which certain human groups rely”. The tribunal will also examine whether the Rome

MONSANTO ON TRIAL

How the tribunal will function

Statute could include this crime.

The allegations focus on Monsanto products such as: • PCBs, one of twelve Persistent Organic Pollutants, that affect human and animal fertility; • 2.4.5 T, a dioxin containing the defoliant Agent Orange, as used in the Vietnam War, which still causes birth defects and cancer; • Lasso, a herbicide now banned in Europe; and Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world and also used in conjunction with Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically engineered seeds.

• Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, which in 2015 the World Health Organisation declared as “probably carcinogenic to humans” with many EU states banning or seeking to ban the herbicide.

The allegations also focus on Monsanto’s role in sustaining the agro-industrial model of farming. This contributes to at least a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, depletes soil and water resources, has caused species extinction and declining biodiversity, as well as the displacement

of millions of small-scale farmers worldwide. This model threatens food sovereignty by patenting seeds and privatising life.

VICTIMS OF MULTINATIONALS NEED JUSTICE The aim of the tribunal is to win a ruling– albeit symbolic – against Monsanto based on international law and proper legal procedure. Taking Monsanto as an example, it will raise the debate about how to hold a company responsible for violating fundamental human rights, and the need to change international law to allow victims of multinational corporations to access justice. Global Justice Now is similarly campaigning for a UN treaty on business and human rights that will hold corporations accountable for their actions (see page 5).

This type of civic action can help Monsanto’s victims receive justice and compensation. Monsanto spends millions on legal defence, which can deter individuals from seeking legal action. Where legal challenges are mounted, Monsanto often settles outof-court to avoid establishing negative

Monsanto will face a bench of three appointed international judges. Drawing on International Court of Justice procedure, lawyers will submit briefs to the judges and plead their cases in person. Victims (and audience members) can submit documents and 20 plaintiffs from around the world will present testimony, represented by experienced counsel. Monsanto has been invited to make submissions and - as defendant - will be heard in response to allegations. The judges will deliberate and hand down their decision in December 2016.

legal precedents. The tribunal’s work will give victims and their legal counsel the arguments and legal grounds to pursue actual lawsuits against Monsanto within their national jurisdictions.

The organisers of the Monsanto Tribunal include environmentalists, scientists, academics and politicians.

So far, over 300 organisations and social movements from around the world have expressed support, Global Justice Now is among them. Many will also be participating in a People’s Assembly that will be running at the same time as the tribunal in The Hague.

Meanwhile, Monsanto has denounced the tribunal as “fake” and “a publicity stunt”. As of 28 July 2016, it has refused to accept a letter of invitation inviting the company to participate.

To submit testimony, add your support or donate, go to: www.monsanto-tribunal.org Dr Vandana Shiva is an Indian scholar, environmental activist and anti-globalisation author.

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MONSANTO ON TRIAL

Seed funding Ruth Nyambura looks at how multinational seed firms like Monsanto are trying to take control away from African farmers The global south is still living with the effects of the 1980s and 1990s structural adjustment programmes imposed by the World Bank and IMF – and the legacy is felt most strongly in agriculture. In Africa, the programmes eliminated price guarantees for farmers, the majority of them smallholders, and destroyed national research and marketing systems across the continent.

The consequence has been the near obliteration of national seed companies (which save and sell good quality seeds) across Africa in the last 30 years. The majority have been closed down, while the few still operating lack financial and technical support from the state, or have been privatised altogether.

THE RISE OF PRIVATE SEEDS In Sub-Saharan Africa, farmer-managed seed systems currently provide between 70-80% of the seeds used by farmers. The agricultural sector is largely dominated by small-scale farmers with women accounting for about 70% of food producers.

This whole food chain is held up by two main factors: the ability of small-scale farmers in predominantly rural areas to freely save, sell and exchange their traditional local seed varieties, and the labour of women farmers, particularly in the subsistence sector.

So although Africa’s food production is almost completely reliant on farmer-saved indigenous seed varieties –we are in a political and economic age in which we are witnessing the rise of private seed companies.

These companies range from locally owned private seed companies to some of the largest multinational agribusiness companies in the world such as Monsanto and Syngenta, who often also have shareholdings in the local private seed companies. These companies almost exclusively deal in the research and commercial production of hybrid and genetically modified seed varieties.

Most of the emerging local private seed companies have received support in cash and kind from organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, through the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a nonprofit launched in 2006 with the joint financial backing of the Rockefeller Foundation.

A groundbreaking report by the African Centre for Biodiversity last year carefully traced the trajectory of the current expansion of the commercial seed sector in Africa.

The report states that AGRA has so far provided support for the establishment of 80 private seed companies. It has also provided money for investment funds such as the African Seed Investment Fund, which in turn makes investments in and loans to companies which AGRA has previously funded in other capacities.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Another worrying factor is the strengthening of the intellectual property regime– a sort of ‘copyright’ for seeds.

For at least three decades, agribusiness companies from the global north such as Monsanto have been pushing for the implementation of stronger intellectual property laws in the agricultural sector. Africa is now the newest frontier for international agribusiness companies’ interests. So there’s a lot of pressure being applied to African governments to hurriedly pass legislation privileging the rights of intellectual property holders (private business) over those of smallholder farmers. What this means is that small-holders will be discouraged from saving, selling and exchanging their local seed varieties – in fact, they could be criminalised if they do this with commercial varieties.

The rise of intellectual property rights in agriculture has increased the concentration of economic and intellectual resources being held by multinational agribusiness companies. These companies are not just sitting around and waiting for the hearts and minds of smallholder farmers in Africa and the African people at large to change, because there is stiff resistance everywhere. What they are doing instead is lobbying African governments, with a lot of help from the governments of the global north.

Democratic spaces are being captured by big business both nationally and regionally. Lobbyists working for agribusiness companies continue to enjoy unparalleled access and influence over government negotiators. The fight to reverse problematic legislation and to positively influence the content of new legislation has become a central fight in the quest for seed and food sovereignty in Africa.

Ruth Nyambura is a Kenyan political ecologist and feminist. She works on the intersections of gender, economy and ecological justice.

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MONSANTO ON TRIAL XXX

© UN

A local farmer harvesting sorghum seeds in Sudan.

2016 Ninety-Nine 11

BREXIT

Brexit – what next?

What does Britain’s vote to leave the EU mean for global justice and trade campaigners? Nick Dearden writes is often driven by war, poverty, inequality and climate change, which are a consequence of western policies. The relative freedom of movement enjoyed by those of us in Europe cannot be squared with building higher walls to keep out those from poorer parts of the world.

We need to explain why migration happens, defend the rights of those who have migrated and support policies which In coming months, we treat all people with dignity will need to work hard and humanity. This is not an easy subject to campaign to thwart CETA in the on right now – but we’re European parliament here to take on those issues and embarrass our that others feel are too difficult. We’ll put time into government into working out the best way ensuring a Westminster to build public support vote takes place before for freer movement of people.

We are living through the biggest political event in Britain in 70 years. The need for change has never been more necessary in order to combat the threats we face or to seize the opportunities this uncertain situation presents. But Brexit also means we must rethink our campaigns to make us more relevant to a country facing a deeply uncertain period.

WHAT TO MAKE OF BREXIT

Global Justice Now argued for a critical ‘remain’ vote in the referendum, believing that an exit would strengthen free market and xenophobic values in our society. The wave of racist attacks in the wake of the vote, and CETA becomes the inclusion of several hardline free marketeers in the new cabinet, suggest we were right to be worried.

But we also know that some people voted to Brexit for very different reasons – to escape the corporate-dominated EU institutions which dreamt up TTIP, destroyed Greece’s economy and is abrogating its human rights duties towards refugees. For many more, Brexit was a cry against the establishment and their own marginalisation from the political process. These people could be seriously distressed by what Brexit looks like in practice.

Our first job at this difficult time is to defend our values against those unleashed by the referendum. We believe in a world based on more equality and solidarity, and we stand firmly against racism and discrimination.

We believe defending migrants is a clear part of building global justice. After all, migration

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law.

BREXIT

TTIP, CETA AND THE MARKET The mobilisation against TTIP has shown that ordinary people can have power. The deal is on its last legs, having been subject to continual opposition from across Europe.

However, TTIP’s little brother CETA (a deal between Canada and the EU) is just as dangerous and could easily become law before Brexit takes place. Just like TTIP, CETA would allow foreign corporations to sue the British government in special ‘courts’, and is all about a regulatory race to the bottom.

We’ve already had some success with CETA – the EU has had to admit that the agreement is ‘mixed’, which means it has to go to national parliaments like Westminster. But the British government is desperately trying to ensure CETA is passed into law before this parliamentary vote.

That means it could be applied as early as next spring.

In coming months, we will need to work hard to thwart CETA in the European parliament and embarrass our government into ensuring a Westminster vote takes place before CETA becomes law.

But this is only the first step, because in the coming years our government will try to sign many trade deals. Free market think tanks are already trying to mobilise for trade deals which look like TTIP on steroids.

We need to work to combat the failed ideology these deals are based on, but also propose our own alternative vision for trade. We will try to build as big a coalition as possible for trade policies which genuinely put people and the planet first.

CETA could come

into force before

a vote in parliament

THE REAL THREAT TO OUR SOVEREIGNTY It’s interesting how little was said during the referendum campaign about the real threats to our sovereignty and our democracy – namely the overwhelming power of corporations.

Corporate power is at the heart of global problems like inequality, climate change and even conflict and war.

We will launch a major campaign which aims to restrain corporate power. We will join with campaigners across the world in working for an enforceable UN treaty that holds corporations legally accountable for their adverse human rights impacts. This includes exposing and challenging specific corporations – like Monsanto, whose power is destroying small scale agriculture (see page 8).

We will also map out and campaign for economic models that undermine corporate power – like food sovereignty, energy Illustration by Jacob V Joyce

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BREXIT

democracy and a genuinely beneficial aid programme that puts publicly run healthcare and education ahead of corporate interests.

In particular, our whole food system will need to be revised in the aftermath of Brexit.

Some are openly advocating a model under which the world’s poorest grow and export all of our food – a hangover from a dangerous Victorian ideology. We believe in a food system based on small farming and environmental practices.

We will need to work hard to make such a system a reality, but the food sovereignty convergence and people’s tribunal against Monsanto this autumn are good starting points.

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

• We will stop the CETA trade deal, and will work towards a trade system for Britain which puts people first.

• We will defend the rights and dignity of migrants, campaigning to change attitudes towards migration.

• We will launch a major new campaign to restrain the power of global corporations – the real threat to our democracy.

• We will develop alternative systems for food and energy production and a better model for aid.

CETA would strip away vital legal

marginalised by our economy, younger people and people of colour. This will make us stronger.

We are committed to becoming a more diverse organisation because our strength lies in our diversity.

We are launching a youth network, an education programme and we are committed to increasing our work with allies here and around the world.

Together, we can overcome the divisions of the last six months.

All of these issues we have been campaigning on for so long are now on the table for discussion. We have no choice but to seize the opportunity for change.

• We’ll launch a youth network to involve more young people in taking back our world from the 1%.

protections

Even with the best ideas in the world, we will achieve little as staff in offices in London and Edinburgh.

We need to build a movement based on values of community, solidarity, openness and diversity. At this moment, many people in our society feel anxious, uncertain and afraid.

We need to tell them they are not alone and, if they come together with others, they are not powerless.

In particular, we should be strengthening those who are

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GLOBAL JUSTICE NOW’S POST-BREXIT STRATEGY

Take action to stop CETA! Use the postcard that you will find inside this issue of Ninety Nine to mail one of your MEPs to ask them to stop CETA.

rs e rt o p p u s w o N e c ti s u Global J

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Are you the one to cheer fo guaranteed There’s always been one event . As a child to bring a tear to my mum’s eye cted like this I couldn’t work out why she rea w it was just to a marathon. These days I kno ing level of her response to the overwhelm inspiration she felt.

brought home That feeling of inspiration was spring when I to me on a sunny morning this in the Brighton cheered on Adrian and Steve y taught me marathon. That day, they not onl Usain Bolt to that you don’t need to look like the running track, achieve something amazing on paigns- vital they also raised £20 00 for our cam independent and funds that mean we can stay e. outspoken in the face of injustic er on Global Justice So I’m glad that I’ll be able che n on Sunday 9 April 2017.

Now’s runners again in Brighto in Steve and Adrian’s If you think you might like to be n the historic seafront, shoes, treading the route dow then you email me at k or find more info on debby.boon@globaljustice.org.u

.uk/brighton-marathon

our website at globaljustice.org

thoughts r u yo : n ig a p m ca e d a tr r The future of ou Our members, supporters and activists are at the heart of our campaigns. Only a wider movement of people like you can make our demand for a more just future be heard.

like. Thank you to all 1,766 of you r who took the time to give us you thoughts.

We want to make sure that we keep you up-to-date with campaign news and our online your ed actions without spamming That’s why we recently consult inbox. The majority of you said some of our supporters who’ve that you know a fair amount helped our trade campaign by about TTIP and CETA already, d taking action online. We wante but that you’d like to know more to hear what they thought the about the ratification process future of our work on the toxic ate tic and the increase in corpor trade deals TTIP (the Transatlan uld wo ls dea e power these trad Trade and Investment allow.

Partnership) and CETA (the ic Emails were the clear first choice Comprehensive and Econom for how you’d like stay updated Trade Agreement) should look

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Life within the United Soya Republic Photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera travelled to Paraguay in 2013 to document the rapid expansion of industrial agriculture and the communities coping with the consequences

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In Paraguay, the amount of land devoted to soya production has more than doubled in the last 10 years. The rapid expansion of industrial soya production in the bottom half of South America has led to the countries being labelled the ‘United Soya Republic’

by Syngenta, one of the big agribusiness corporations behind the boom. Paraguay has become the fourth biggest exporter in the world, with the majority of the crop being shipped to China and the EU for cattle feed.

This massive expansion in intensive agriculture has been based on the introduction of genetically modified seeds, enormous monoculture plantations and the intensive use of pesticides and other agrochemicals. Critics say that this rapid expansion has been impoverishing local communities by strangling small producers and destroying the local market economy.

Each year 9,000 rural families in Paraguay are being evicted by soya production, and half a million hectares of land are being turned into soya fields. Independent studies on the uncontrolled use of pesticides like glyphosate have suggested that it is probably having serious impacts on human health, and protests against fumigations and over land ownership are spreading, leading to fierce confrontations between police, peasants and large estate owners.

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1. Magdalena Prete, 30, with her daughter Andrea Natalia, who was born with a partial arm, which she believes is due to exposure to pesticides during the pregnancy.

The family lives in a highly impoverished area surrounded by soy fields. According to some doctors the number of birth defects has increased dramatically in the areas where soy is planted on a large scale.

2. Landless farmers camp in plastic huts in front of the Institute for Rural Land Development in demand for lands to work. They claim that police evicted them from their lands without notice, as a nearby soya plantation owner claimed ownership over the land they had been living on for over 20 years in Maria Auxiliadora community.

3. A peasant shoots a flare to alert the population that a fumigation is happening near the community. When they see the flare the community comes to occupy the soy field in order to stop the fumigation, since they believe the fumigations to be harming their health and the local environment.

4. Francisco Esquivel having breakfast in the wooden house he lives in with his wife and two children. The community is in an ongoing conflict with the soy plantation nearby, with regular protests against the fumigations, which they say are breaking environmental protection laws.

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5. Local peasants remain jobless as the fields they once owned are now part of a large soy plantation. They are in an ongoing conflict over the ownership of the land with the plantation company, which they accuse of steadily grabbing their lands in connivance with corrupt authorities.

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Haid Haid

MIGRATION

One in, one out?

Haid Haid looks at the impact of the EU-Turkey deal on Syrian refugees The European Union struck a deal with Turkey in March that should concern us all. The exchange deal, designed to end the ‘irregular migration’ of Syrian refugees into the EU, means that one refugee will be settled in Europe in exchange for each refugee who is returned to Turkey from Greece.

In practice this denies Syrians the right to seek protection and increases the risk of sending them back to a war zone. Asylum seekers sent to Turkey are unprotected and at risk of being returned to Syria. The 1951 Refugee Convention and international human rights standards prohibit any country from returning a person to a country where they may face a risk of persecution or abuse.

FORTRESS TURKEY Amnesty International has reported that, “Turkish authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children to Syria on a near-daily basis since midJanuary”. Many of those who were returned seem to be unregistered refugees, though cases of registered Syrian refugees being returned were also documented.

© Agustín Millán

The deal has increased Turkish border restrictions on Syrians and turned Turkey into a fortress, just like Europe. Turkey’s land border with Syria has been sealed since last March, and it recently introduced visa requirements for Syrians arriving by air. Amnesty International said in April that, “there are currently around 200,000 displaced Syrians within 20km of Turkey’s border who are denied from fleeing the fighting there”. Turkish security forces have also reportedly shot dead refugees escaping from the Syrian conflict.

The absence of legal passages that allow Syrians to find safe shelter have pushed people into the hands of smugglers. According to local Syrian human rights groups, smugglers are charging at least US$1,000 per person to cross into Turkey.

ACCESS DENIED Syrian refugees have also increasingly been denied access to registration in Turkey. Turkey provided assurances to the EU that it would provide work authorisation for Syrians with temporary protection, as well as access to education and health services.

However, many Syrians in Turkey have told Human Rights Watch that they face difficulty in registering for temporary protection and receiving identification cards, which are required for employment, health care, and schools. Amnesty International also reported that the Turkish authorities have scaled back the registration of Syrian refugees in the southern border provinces.

The one-for-one plan is dehumanising and lacks any concern for the needs and safety of Syrian asylum seekers. It will continue to push people to find even riskier ways to cross into Europe.

ts acros s Spain again st the EU-Turkey Protes ters in one of 50 simultaneou s protes and kick out the victim s” and arms the deal. Placa rds read “The EU: we sell l”.

“No one is illega

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Haid Haid is a Syrian researcher who focuses on foreign and security policy, conflict resolution and Kurds and Islamist movements. He tweets at @HaidHaid22

REVIEWS

Reviews THE BREACH Edited by Olumide Popoola and Annie Holmes Peirene Press, 2016 I have been working in the camps in Calais for over a year, so when I first found myself reading this collection of short stories about the lives of the refugees there I did struggle, and found them quite hard reading.

What’s striking is that these aren’t really stories, they are real-life situations.

Many of the incidents that are written about are very real and personal – and their translation into fiction is a brave attempt to bring them to wider attention.

The authors managed to make me feel uncomfortable when talking about expectations between the volunteers and the residents of the Jungle – the most famous camp in Calais. The white privilege that many of the volunteers have, and how it is

viewed by the residents comes across as harsh but true. The only thing that was missing for me was the reality of boredom. In between the danger and the harshness of the camp is the boredom. Waiting, watching your life pass by waiting and bored.

I would recommend The Breach to people with no real idea of what’s going on in Calais but I would also recommend that you go and help out at the Jungle and see what is going on for yourself.

Janie Mac

THE CONFESSION Directed by Ashish Gadialli The Confession is an innovative and deeply engaging exploration of the life of enigmatic ex-Guantanamo Bay and Bagram detainee Moazzam Begg. The documentary navigates a complicated narrative spanning many years, locations and conflicts in the post-9/11 era, intimately delving into Moazzam’s struggle with identity, faith and politics.

The Confession can be paralleled with documentaries such as Bitter Lake and Taxi to the Dark Side in uncovering the history and lived experience of the ‘war on terror’. Gadialli, however, has achieved something uniquely direct and challenging by using a long-form interview with Moazzam. Although the

focus is on his experience of detention, the interview also explores multiculturalism, the British Asian experience and abuses of state power under the rubric of security.

While not directing the viewer to any one conclusion, The Confession will no doubt reinvigorate the conversation over detention facilities and the desperate need for state accountability and transparency.

Luke Wilson

THIS IS AN UPRISING: HOW NON-VIOLENT REVOLT IS SHAPING THE 21ST CENTURY Mark and Paul Engler Nation Books, 2015

From Martin Luther King’s Montgomery bus boycott to the uprising in Egypt in 2011, this book presents case studies, quantitative research and academic theories on some of the most recent mass mobilisations with the aim of demonstrating the effectiveness of non-violent uprising.

And in that, it is hugely successful.

This is an Uprising invites the reader to develop a more complex view of activism; a view which recognises non-violent momentum-driven organising as a successful strategy in and of itself. The authors, Mark and Paul Engler, do an excellent job in arguing for the importance of swaying public opinion by means of various tactics ranging from polarisation and economic disruption to frontloading and mass education.

In a world where social change is generally understood to be monolithic, this is a refreshing read for anyone interested in bringing about justice. Grassroots campaigning does change the world. And understanding this can be essential to the success of future social movements.

Malise Rosbech

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