La Via Campesina expresses solidarity with Korean peasants facing repression and criminalisation
12 July 2024 | Bagnolet: La Via Campesina expresses urgent solidarity with the Korean Peasant League (KPL), the Korean Peasant Women’s Association (KWPA), and all other peasant movements in the country who are mobilizing to defend their rights and territories.
On July 4, 2024, more than three thousand Korean peasants held demonstrations in Seoul to defend their right to livelihood and to call for the realization of nationally responsible agriculture in the context of recurring climate disasters. They aimed to draw attention to the severe damage to agriculture caused by climate change and protested the lack of redressal measures from the Korean government. They also protested against plummeting prices for agricultural produce due to the government’s import policies, warning of acute crises in rural areas severely affected by production losses.
Instead of listening to the demands and voices of the protesting peasants, the government began trying to control the protests. In the process, they arrested and detained a young peasant (Kim Jae-young, Jinju, Gyeongnam) on false charges of using violence against the police. In reality, the police used violence against him during the arrest.
Why else would peasants gather in Seoul during this busy season, if not out of frustration and anger? Why else would young peasants participate in protests if their lives were not difficult? Rather than listening to these peasants and addressing farm issues, the government is behaving undemocratically by using police force to suppress them unconditionally.
In response, La Via Campesina stands with the Korean Peasant League, KWPA, and peasant leaders to demand the immediate release of the detained young peasant, Kim Jae-young. We also call for a government statement and press conference condemning these actions and apologizing to the peasants.
Release the detainees now! Stop Criminalizing Peasants!
Globalize the Struggle, Globalize Hope!
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