Even though La Via Campesina called mainly Brazilian organizations (such as the Peasant Women Movement, the Movement of People Affected by Dams, the Rural Landless Peasant Movement and the Small Peasants Movement) international organizations that are participating in the Peoples’ Summit against the commodification of nature also took part in the mobilization.

The message was clear : governments, transnational corporations and financial capital that are responsible for land grabbing, for commodifying water and biodiversity through patents are the actual forces that expel the peasant and indigenous population from the countryside.

They promote a model of « agriculture without farmers ». This is reflected in a scale model placed in the CNA stand at the Rio+20 Summit. The scale model shows an « ideal ranch » with machinery to spray agrotoxics, large monoculture plantations, forestation, cattle farming without people as part of the productive system.

The meaning of this « ideal ranch » was criticized in the street demonstration. They accused the CNA of not only coordinating agribusiness in Brazil, but also of criminalizing and murdering peasants who resist in their lands.

Meanwhile, members of social organizations surrounded the scale model and said it is an exclusive system that fails to either resolve healthy and sufficient food production or to allow for a dignifying life in the countryside.

The march kicked off in Plaza Candelaria and then went into Rio’s port, which is under reconstruction as a result of the works for the upcoming Football World Cup and the Olympic Games. From the construction sites the workers welcomed the slogans of La Via Campesina organizations such as « while there is hunger, while there is war, la Via Campesina will continue to fight for land ».

A large number of police officers tried to isolate the march and to prevent the nearly 2,000 demonstrators to access the premises.

However, the march peacefully decided to occupy the access to the stand and join the people who were inside to reject the CNA model.

The police beat the people with batons. Some of them passed out and had to be assisted by the medical team.

The demonstration ended peacefully and there was a clear distance separating Rio+20 and the false solutions like ’green economy’ from the real solutions developed by the movements organized in the countryside and the city.

After the demonstration the participants came back to Aterro de Flamengo, where the Peoples’ Summit is taking place.

Watch photos of the demonstration by the Social Movement’s Media Convergence

>http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/5683-resistiendo-los-golpes-del]