Hundreds of protesters marched in October 7th against the 3rd International Biotechnology conference in Greece

Hundreds of protesters marched in October 7th against the 3rd International Biotechnology conference in Greece, organised by the EuropaBio Hellas, the legal representatives of the EuropaBio lobby in Greece. Several autonomous, anti-authoritarian and eco- groups and initiatives from all over the country had gathered forming a common front against the Greek biotech engines aiming to the sovereignty and profit, dressed up with scientific progress promises�

EuropaBio Hellas is literally the other name of Bionova Ltd ( http://www.bionova.gr) a consulting company, which has been assigned with the task to promote and lobby the agenda of all interested biotech European Biotech companies, including, of course, issues like the introduction of gm crops in Greek agriculture, influence of the media, transfer of knowledge, research patents, close collaboration between multinationals with the academic world and all other eager desires the biotech engines would have.

The International Biotech Conference in Greece (http://www.igbf.gr) is a characteristic case study of the Biotech industries effort to intrude in economy, agriculture and scientific world of a country which has denied the introduction of gm crops with a vast percentage and has been declared gm free by all national municipalities.

It is characteristic as well that one of the main issues presented in the conference was Bio-fuels and its relation to biotechnology, revealing the intentions of the industry to use the above as a "green Trojan horse" in order to smoothly introduce the "Agri-biotech wonder" to the suspicious farmers and people.

Presentation of the real character biotech conference and the counter-demonstration appeared also in the national press, focusing especially to the plethora of state sponsors of the conference including three ministries as well as two embassies (u.s and Israelian). In addition the presence and speech of the minister of Education Ms Marietta Giannakou, whose privatisation and neo-liberal politics had fired up the student movements last spring leading to extensive faculties' occupations and mass demonstrations, reveals how state and biotech lobby engines collaborate to undermine people΄s suspicions regarding genetic engineering.
The unpacking of the true character of the Greek biotech engines can be considered as a primary step of resistance. More are about to come..
watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-I5rM3gOgE
artile and fotos in athens.ondymedia: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=587202