BRAZIL - Landless storm Brazilian Congress

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Wednesday, 7 June 2006,

08:29 GMT 09:29 UK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landless

storm Brazilian Congress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The protesters

say land reform is too slow

 

 

 

Hundreds

of landless Brazilian farm workers have stormed a congressional building in

the capital, Brasilia.

The protesters, carrying sticks and farm tools, smashed windows,

tables and doors, overturned a car and clashed with police and security

guards.

Officials said about 500 people were arrested and more than 25

hurt,one seriously, in the violence.

Most of the protesters are thought to be members of a militant

offshoot of Brazil's main landless

movement.

The activists managed to force their way into an annexe of the

lower house of Brazil's Congress in Brasilia.

They reached a room next to one of the two main debating

chambers where a parliamentary session was taking place.

Land reforms

The protesters smashed furniture and windows, and destroyed a

car that was being displayed as part of a

prize draw for congressional staff.

The demonstrators said they had entered the building to demand

an end to what they called slave labour and changes to Brazil's legislation

to speed up land reform.

 

 

 

 

Lula has promised

to help farm workers get land

 

 

 

They said they had planned a peaceful protest but

the police had attacked them.

It is thought the protesters belong to the MLST, a splinter group of

Brazil's main landless

workers group, the Landless Rural Workers' Movement

(MST).

One of the MLST leaders, Bruno Maranhao, is also an executive

member of the governing Workers Party.

That will prove embarrassing for President Luiz Inacio Lula da

Silva, who is seeking re-election this year, the BBC's Steve

Kingstone in Sao Paulo says.

In a statement, the president condemned the unrest as an act of

vandalism against democracy.

The farm workers have traditionally backed President Lula whose

party strongly supports land reform.

But the government has come in for criticism for doing too

little to accelerate the process.

When he was elected in 2003, the president promised to buy

disused land and redistribute it to poor families with no home of their own.

But the MST says the government has failed to live up to its

election promises to find homes for 400,000 families by 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5054338.stm

 

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Jorge Angelino

 

 

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Portugal

 

 

 

 

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