Parliamentarians and governors criticize recent MST invasions in 11 states

The new invasions carried out by the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) this Monday (15) were criticized by opposition parliamentarians and governors of the states that were invaded.

To date, 24 invasions have been carried out in 11 states during the National Day of Struggle, which began this Monday (15) and runs until Friday (19), as part of Red April. The states with acts of invasion are: Sergipe, Pernambuco, Paraná, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Pará, São Paulo, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Ceará and Rio de Janeiro.

Regarding the MST act in São Paulo, governor Tarcísio de Freiras said that “invasions in the state will not be allowed. To CNNhe guaranteed that the responses against the movement were “quick” and the camps were “demobilized” by the State police.

The governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado, also guaranteed that he would not allow MST invasions and therefore activated “shock troops” to prevent further invasions. “My riot police are in the region, we have already blocked a bus. We have security and intelligence forces, we are going to block the buses that are going to the invasion. If they get there, we will take them to the police station to make a report. There won’t be an invasion because I’m going to take them all out,” he told the newspaper The globe.

Parliamentarians demand stricter laws

In view of the recent invasions promoted by the MST, opposition deputies and senators demanded “stricter laws” to curb “illegal” actions that represent “a threat to the security of rural landowners and their families”.

“It is regrettable that the Landless Movement continues to promote invasions of private properties. These actions are illegal and represent a threat to the safety of rural landowners and their families. It is necessary to guarantee respect for the law and property rights”, highlighted the deputy Colonel Telhada (PP-SP).

According to licensed senator Luis Carlos Heinze (PP-RS), “the MST’s invasions threaten our stability.” “Brazilian rural producers urgently need actions to guarantee the legal security of their lands. Without this, how are we going to preserve the continuity of the country’s production and feed our population?”, wrote the parliamentarian on the X network.

For deputy Rodolfo Nogueira (PL-MS) the MST’s act is “shameful”, in addition to generating “insecurity and instability in the countryside”.
“It is shameful to see the MST promoting invasions as if it were above the law. This creates insecurity and instability in the countryside, harming agricultural production and the well-being of rural communities. The right to property must be respected, and the MST needs to find ways legal and peaceful way to fight for their causes.”, said Nogueira.

The president of the Chamber’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ), Carol de Toni (PL-SC), announced this Monday (15) that she will plan projects that aim to prevent or hinder the actions of the MST. “It is unbelievable that we have a government in Brazil that relies on movements of this nature to negotiate. Anyone who invades land commits a crime and must suffer the penalties provided for by law”, wrote the parliamentarian on the X network.

MST justification

According to the movement, the invasions are to pressure the Lula government to present a satisfactory agrarian reform plan. The matter was discussed this morning by President Lula with the ministers of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, the General Secretariat, Márcio Macêdo and the Communication Secretariat, Paulo Pimenta.

After the meeting, President Lula announced that he will spend R$520 million for the first phase of the “Terra da Gente” program, a kind of “land shelf” with unproductive and vacant areas of the Union, among other sources, for the reform agrarian. According to the first information released by the government, “Terra da Gente” will benefit around 295 thousand farming families by 2026. In this first phase of spending of more than half a billion reais in 2024, the expectation is to benefit 73 thousand families.

In a letter to the Brazilian people, the MST reaffirmed “the legitimate right to fight for access to land”, in addition to demanding that “the social function of land be respected”.

“We fight, because 105 thousand families are camped and we demand that the Federal Government comply with article 184 of the Federal Constitution, expropriate unproductive large estates and democratize access to land, settling everyone who wants to work and produce food for the people”, wrote the movement.

Earlier this evening, the MST reported conflicts during land occupations in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Goiás and the Federal District.