austria: spectacular demonstration against gmos

To remind politicians and the public about this decisive vote, and to warn about the risk of contamination by GM canola, FoE Austria held a breathtaking action in April 2007.

Releasing approximately 10,000 ecologically-produced balloons in a historic public square in Vienna, FoE Austria described how the balloons represented a pollen flight simulation, and symbolized the dangers of GM contamination. Before being released, the red and white balloons were used to form the words “GE Gen”, the logo of the ten-year-old campaign against genetic engineering.

“Thanks to the will of the people, Austrian fields have been free from genetic engineering for ten years, but Austria now runs a risk of being contaminated by GM canola,” said Jens Karg, FoE Austria’s spokesperson on GMOs. Jens urged the federal minister responsible to protect Austrian consumers and farmers by placing an immediate ban on GM canola imports.

See images of the balloon action here.