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‘I asked myself ‘why?’ Who are these people? And why do they do this to us? Why do they kill my people? Why
do they rape my aunties?’ Benny Wenda
Benny Wenda of the Free West Papua Campaign spoke to us last night. Benny is a tribal leader from West Papua who is campaigning against land grabbing in his country. He talked movingly about how major companies. supported by the Indonesian government and military, are raping his land and cutting down the forest to grow palm oil and how people are displaced. It is always moving to meet someone who has given up so much for their people, but Benny’s story moved me particularly as his family has been destroyed and a silent genocide is happening so that we can have palm oil in our biscuits and margerine.
Benny lives here in Oxford and Friends of the Earth International are supporting him, along with our local MP Andrew Smith. Please help by clicking the link above and taking action.
Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It
Friends of the Earth are running a comedy benefit gig at the Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 18 November. Big names confirmed so far include Dan Antopolski, Simon Day, Justin Edwards as Jeremy Lion, Richard Herring, Josie Long, Francesca Martinez, Lucy Porter and Rob Rouse, with music from special guest Badly Drawn Boy. A number of us are thinking of going as a group – if you are interested, please contact Fiona (stalls@oxfoe.co.uk).
and before that there is a food campaign event in Trafalgar Square:
FoE are supporting an event in London on 18 November called Feeding the 5000, from 12 noon to 2.00pm in Trafalgar Square. It involves a free lunch made entirely from fresh ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.
- MOOving at the Farmers Market
The day after the gig, Glyn dressed as a cow to pose with local organic farmer Matt from North Aston Organics and a banner saying “I’m voting for rainforest-free food” at the East Oxford Farmers’ Market. Matt has stopped using soya to feed his cattle and I’m hoping to get him to contribute something to this blog explaining why – but here’s my attempt:
It’s not something that everybody knows, but animals in British factory farms are fed soy grown by destroying forests and other natural habitats in South America. Friends of the Earth has introduced a Sustainable Livestock Bill and is campaigning for MPs to vote for it in Parliament on Friday 12 November. Hundreds of local people have been putting their hooves down for rainforest-free food over the last couple of years.
It’s great that Andrew Smith will be supporting the local appetite for planet-friendly food and farming by voting for a strong new law that supports British farmers to feed animals a home-grown diet and will be joining us for a photo opportunity next Saturday, 6 November, to show his support for a new law to halt the environmental damage being caused by factory farming.
We’ll be staging the stunt at East Oxford Farmers’ Market to highlight the hidden chain linking meat and dairy from British factory farms to wildlife and rainforest destruction in South America – and to raise awareness of the MOOvement for rainforest-free food – www.jointheMOOvement.com.
‘Food Inc.’ is a must-watch for anyone concerned about the state of agriculture in the developed world. Although the film focuses on the dirty world of US industrial food production, its message is applicable to our situation in the UK. I guarantee you won’t feel the same about your non-organic burger.
OxFOE campaigners will be there en force at 18:30 Tuesday evening at the Phoenix Picture House. Come along!
If this doesn’t give you cuteness overload I don’t know what will. The Northmoor Trust in Abingdon are hosting their annual lambing weekend on 20, 21, 27 and 28 March, 2010. Tickets can be purchased in the day and there is no need to call ahead.
(source)
Can’t speak… too cute.
