Slideshow: March Against Monsanto – Portland, ME

· May 26, 2015

Protesters took to the streets Saturday in a global March Against Monsanto. Organizers say tens of thousands of people marched in cities from Chile to Nepal, from South Africa to western Canada. At rallies in the United States, activists called for GMO labeling laws and expressed concern about the Monsanto-produced pesticide that many of those crops have been modified to withstand – glyphosate, also known as Round-up.

In March, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer group released the results study that classifies glyphosate as an agent that “probably” causes cancer. Statewide efforts to require labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) have gained traction, but a bill before the US Congress would ban states from taking such action. Maine is one of the states that have moved towards GMO labeling, though not far enough for attendees at the March Against Monsanto in Portland. FSRN’s Ekatarina Davilova went to the march and files this photo essay.

Click on any thumbnail image to launch slideshow.

: National groups like Food and Water Watch and state groups like Green Initiatives sponsored the event. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: Protesters are hoping Maine can continue to lead in pushing for a more sustainable food system but also watching efforts on Capitol Hill that would limit states’ ability to label foods containing GMOS. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: Protesters wore yellow and black striped costumes to the march, and at one point, fell to the ground and feigned death as an actor in a fumigator suit sprayed them. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: The participants of the rally made a performance on the main town square symbolizing bees killed by chemicals. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: People marched along the main street of Portland with posters, chanting “Save the farmers, save our seeds, we don’t want your corporate greed!” (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: This year’s international action against Monsanto came on the heels of a World Health Organization warning that glyphosate, a top-selling chemical produced by the company, probably causes cancer. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the weed killer known as Round-up. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova, May 23, 2015)

: Around 200 people gathered for the March against Monsanto company in Portland, ME, on May 23, 2015. People dressed as bees, which they say are killed and endangered because of Monsanto products. (Photo Credit: Ekaterina Danilova)