Military police officers violently attacked the 400 members of the MST who were mobilizing, and shot Elton Brum from behind, and injured tens of people with beatings and rubber bullets.

In the framework of the National Day of Struggle for Agrarian Reform carried out by the MST last week, approximately 400 peasants occupied on August 12th part of Southall field. The peasants are demanding the expropriation of that piece of land, that Antoniazzi field and 33 others be given to landless workers, and loans for 550 families so that they can start producing food.

The MST members are also demanding more attention to health and education issues, because there are hundreds of children who are not able to go to school and three of them have died due to lack of medical treatment.

On August 12th, the peasants occupied San Gabriel Municipal Prefecture Headquarters. There the military police repressed them violently and after being transfered to the Police Department they continued being tortured, even with electric shocks. Approximately 30 people were injured that day, with broken arms and fingers, among them children who didn´t even get medical attention at first.

On Friday, at 7:30 am the MST peasants relived a nightmare. One of them was murdered, as many other times. This is what the struggle for land and a dignified life is costing them in the country which promised them an agrarian reform. Tomorrow, the peasants present in San Gabriel will honor their murdered friend. And the struggle will continue.

Photo: MST