Bove and French MEP jailed for destroying GM crops (15/11/2005) | |
Militant French farmer sentenced to prison for ripping up GMO crop Jose Bove, a farmer turned anti-globalization activist, was sentenced to four months in prison. It was for his role in uprooting a field that belonged to Pioneer Hi-Bred International. The company is based in Johnston. Bove stood trial in September with eight others, including a Green Party lawmaker and a French member of the European Parliament, both of whom received three-month sentences. Five other defendants were handed two-month suspended sentences. The group attacked a G-M-O crop on July 25th, 2004 in the town of Menville. The field, near the southern city of Toulouse, belonged to Pioneer, a subsidiary of Dupont. Bove and others called the act one of civil disobedience. Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. French activist jailed Bove was sentenced to four months by an appeals court on Tuesday. Bove has become a cult figure within the anti-globalisation movement. He was accused of helping to uproot a field of GM maize near the southwestern French city of Toulouse in July 2004. |