Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 09:27:24 -0700
From: Matt Davies <jmdavies-AT-ix.netcom.com>
Subject: AUT: Folha de S.Paulo - MST coordena saques em cidades atingidas pela seca (com foto) - 06/05/98


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The attached article is in Portuguese -- sorry, I can't take the time to
translate it. Instead I'll summarize:

The MST is the Movement of Landless Rural Workers of Brazil.

The title says that the MST coordinated looting of supermarkets in
cities affected by the draught, in Northeastern Brazil. In four cities,
about 2100 people participated in successful actions, while in eight
other cities there were demonstrations and attempts to break into
stores, involving at least 1600 people. Three people were wounded in
confrontations with the Military Police in Gravatá. In João Câmara, in
the state of Rio Grande do Norte, a group of approximately 1000 rural
workers looted a supermarket. The workers came from lands occupied by
the MST in neighboring towns, under the order not to return with empty
hands. 

In Brasilia, the National Provisioning Company informed that it will use
nearly all of its stock of foodstuffs to address the emergency in the
Northeast. The president of INCRA (n.b., I am not sure what INCRA is, or
if it is part of the national government) stated yesterday that in
cities where the MST incites looting, the movement will be cut out of
governmental actions to alleviate the effects of the draught.

I think that some of the questions raised about the EZLN and
internationalism that were raised recently could be addressed fruitfully
by discussion the movement in relation to or comparison with other
movements. Katha's point about the relevance of "third world" struggles
to the US or Europe notwithstanding, perhaps these actions by the MST to
address the problem of the draught could be compared to the
autoreduction movements in Italy; the land question in Brazil and Mexico
could be compared, as could the relations between the rural movements
and the trade union movements in the two countries; the political
situations in Korea, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil are each taking their
own shape, with different social agents taking initiative (workers,
students, guerrillas, and social movements respectively); and each could
be discussed in terms of what constitutes an effective internationalism
-- taking Reeves/deNeuve's point about the consequences of choosing to
work with parties in government (SP and CP in France) versus working
with grassroots movements transnationally.

Any thoughts?

Matt

http://www.folha.com.br/fsp/brasil/fc06059803.htm

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