Protestors Block CVRD Railroad in Northern Brazil

Protestors block CVRD railroad in northern Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — About 400 members of Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST) blocked a railroad run bythe mining company Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) in the north part of the country, the local press reported Thursday.

The MST activists carried giant signs stating its struggle for agrarian reform in the country and for the “defense of natural resources that belong to the Brazilian people.”

On Wednesday morning, the protestors started taking over the railroad, which connects the Carajas Mining Complex in Para state with a pellet plant in Maranhao state, bringing food and camping equipment with them.

Since the beginning of the protest, the number of barracks installed in the area doubled within less than 24 hours. They alsoused a tractor to help in the land occupation.

According to the CVRD, about 3,000 wagons of raw materials and 250,000 tons of iron ore, which are transported every day, failed to reach the plant due to the protest.

The Federal Court determined Thursday that Para’s state government provides law enforcement support to the Federal Police who are in charge of removing the activists from the railroad. The Court also ordered assistance from the Ministry of Justice, as the number of police available at the local Police Precinct wasno enough to end the protest.

The court judge also ordered a daily fine of 10,000 reals (about 5,500 U.S. dollars), but that did not seem to have made theMST activists change their minds up to now.

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