The Mura people defend themselves against imperialist mining

In February, we reported that in the state of Amazonas, the imperialist company Potássio do Brasil Ltda was granted a license by the federal court responsible for the state, "TRF-1", to mine potassium on the land of the indigenous Mura people.The granting of this license is tantamount to the expropriation of the Mura's land and ultimately means their expulsion from the land they have inhabited for centuries.

Now, local indigenous leaders have declared that any move towards the extraction of potassium and mining on their land will be met with resistance. In a statement they announce that imperialist exploitation will not be tolerated and that they will fight for their territory. In the course of this, the indigenous leaders also denounce the hypocrisy of the old Brazilian state under the leadership of the opportunist Lula da Silva, which likes to give itself the label of sustainability and environmental protection on the outside, but in reality hands over the land to imperialist mining and denies the indigenous peoples their rights. The hypocritical and country-selling character of the Lula government is shown, among other things, by the fact that Potássio do Brasil Ltda - which is controlled by British and Canadian imperialist capital - started work before the federal court had given its approval.

Camp Mãe Bernadete successfully repels the attacks of the big landowner

In the last 30 days, there has been a new wave of attacks by the "agribusinessman" Lineu Fernando Carvalho, a big landowner who is laying claim to the reclaimed land of Camp Mãe Bernadete. " Lineu Fernando Carvalho and his company "of Calsete Indústria e Comércios Ltda." is a good example of how big land ownership and semi-feudalism, although it has often changed its form and now appears under the labels of "agribusiness" and " agrarian economy", still aims to expropriate the land of poor peasants and exploit them in feudal and semi-feudal conditions and capitalize the profits. Lately, Lineu has been using several mercenaries, among whom are once again several military policemen. These mercenaries are formally employed as employees in another security company, but are used to enforce the interests of the large landowners.

At a time when the poor peasants of the camp were in the neighboring community to sell their home-grown produce at a large festival, the Lumpen attacked and set fire to several of the camp's huts. When the armed mercenaries then attempted to penetrate the camp with a major attack on 25 April, they were put to flight by the united and organized poor peasant families shouting "Death to Latifundium". Lineu then plotted to accuse the poor peasants supported by the League of Poor Peasants of shooting at his car. On April 26, a military police car drove onto the camp grounds and, using fictitious evidence, arrested two comrades and took them to the police station in the city. However, thanks to the rapid mobilization of the camp's peasant families, a protest rally and fundraising succeeded in paying the bail of the two detainees and buying their release. Meanwhile, Lineu claims in videos on his channel that the Mãe Bernadete camp is finished. That the opposite is the case is shown not only by the defensive actions of the peasant families, but also by the lively production and organization of their lives under red flags that they have been developing for eight years.

For more information on current developments in the ever-intensifying struggle for land in Brazil, visit the website of the democratic and revolutionary newspaper "A Nova Democracia".