João Pedro Stédile testifies at the MST CPI

João Pedro Stédile, national leader of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), called on militants and settlers to bring cases of embezzlement and aggression to the police station. The statement was made when confronted by the rapporteur of the MST’s Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), deputy Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), about evidence of deviations made through cooperatives linked to the movement, and accusations of aggressions that would have occurred in settlements.

“Take the cases to the police station. We are interested in investigating deviations,” said Stédile at the MST CPI, when calling on movement members to denounce cases such as those reported by CPI deponents. In reports heard at collegiate meetings, former MST members said they were threatened when they questioned the determinations of the settlement leaders.

Salles also stated that in all the cases brought before the CPI there were allegations of forced labor as a discipline and that the MST leaders did not do the same work as the settlers. “Leaders stay in houses, cars and functions better than the collective of people. Its concept of collectivity is selective”, pointed out the rapporteur of the CPI of the MST when refuting Stédile’s position on the principles of the movement, when he highlighted collectivity as one of the main issues to be followed.

Salles also questioned the MST leader about the conduct that would be adopted to correct the facts ascertained by the CPI. In response, Stédile did not commit to resolving the cases. “The solution is the Judiciary. Problems are part of life”, said the leader of the movement. “You cannot put in the report that this [condutas de agressões e desvios] be guidance”, completed Stédile.

Invasion at Embrapa may have been a “mistake”, says Stédile

When asked about the invasions that took place in areas belonging to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in Pernambuco, the MST leader said that he could make a “self-criticism” about the facts. “Okay, it was a mistake, a mistake to enter Embrapa. But they decided because it was the closest public area and they entered Embrapa not to claim the Embrapa area, they entered Embrapa to attract the attention of public opinion and they succeeded”, he declared.

The invasions took place in April and July, at the Embrapa Semi-Arid unit located in the backlands of Pernambuco. In a note, Embrapa informed that the invasion of the MST “was carried out in arable lands and of preservation of the Caatinga”. At the time, Stédile even said, in an interview for the Folha de S. Paulothat there was no research in the invaded lands.

For Stédile, in the two invasions, the MST did not want to claim the land, but to draw attention to the agrarian reform. “Ah, do they often exaggerate or make mistakes? I agree. Sometimes they exaggerate and make mistakes, but they have the right to decide. No national body has decided that they should go,” he concluded, referring to the decisions of MST members.

Gleisi compares investment in agriculture with investment in the MST

Speaking during João Pedro Stédile’s testimony at the MST’s CPI, PT president, deputy Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR), suggested that the Brazilian State should invest in the MST, just as it invests in agribusiness. “They cannot complain that the Brazilian State invests in social movements that fight for agrarian reform, because [o Estado] invests in agribusiness”, said the PT president.

Gleisi also cited the industry sector to say that the tax exemptions applied to the agribusiness sector are “violent”. “When we come here and defend a state policy, that the state has to participate in the process, they are against it. But the State participates in agribusiness. Agro is tech, agro is pop because it has a violent tax exemption. [O agronegócio] currently has only 5% of the GDP tax burden. If the industry had that, it would also be tech, it would be pop”, criticized the petista.

Stédile took cheerleaders to the CPI meeting

The meeting of the CPI of the MST this Tuesday (15th) was attended by a full plenary session of parliamentarians, advisors and the press. Right at the beginning of the meeting, Stédile mentioned that there were many “friends” who would not have been able to enter the plenary, due to the limited space. They would be religious leaders, linked to Pastoral da Terra, and lawyers who would be children of settlers. Stédile made special mention of the presence of saints and said that the terreiros have a lot of impact on MST camps and settlements.

Throughout the meeting, Stédile also received greetings from left-wing federal deputies, mostly non-members of the CPI. The leader of the government in the Chamber, Deputy José Guimarães (PT-CE), and Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE) were at the Commission plenary to greet the deponent.

Over the internet, on the Chamber of Deputies YouTube channel, at least 25,000 people followed Stédile’s testimony live. Seeking support, MST stores, called Armazém do Campo, in several cities, such as Bauru, Porto Alegre, Salvador and Belo Horizonte, published the live broadcast on their social networks and invited followers to follow the testimony of the MST leader directly. in these units.