Diggers, Activists and Landless Peasants Around the World Demand Their Right to Grow Food on Un-used Land

Yesterday's article, by George Monbiot, titled 'After 800 Years, the Barons are Back in Control of Britain' was a re-introduction to Britian's Modern Digger Movement and the young men and women camping at the water-meadow at Runnymede where in 1215 King John sealed the Magna Carta.  Their motto: 'This Earth divided we will make whole, so it can be a common treasury for all' reflects their request for access to disused land for ecovillages to grow food.

Each Saturday the Diggers 2012 at the Runnymede Eco Village warmly invite everyone to an open day of workshops, discussions about freedom and the right of people around the world to shelter and grow food on disused land. This Saturday, 21st July, is no exception. This week's meeting will be at the Magna Carta Memorial from 1pm – 2:30pm with a picnic and an open discussion on ‘Land Rights and Civil Liberties’. Runnymede and the Magna Carta play a historic role in the ideals of democracy, limitation of power, equality, freedom under law and the rights of the commons and so are the perfect setting for the Eco-Village and discussions.

Then there's the flashback to the Counterculture Diggers of the 60s and early 70s who combined street theater, anarcho-direct action, and art happenings in their social agenda of creating a Free City. The SF Diggers, and Diggers of 2012, took their name from the original English Diggers (1649-50) who had promulgated a vision of society free from private property, and all forms of buying and selling. In Haight-Ashbury they opened a Free Bakery and the first Free Medical Clinic as well as being the being central to building the revolutionary community through their manifestos and miscellaneous communications, through broadsides and leaflets distributed by hand on Haight Street.

The Digger ideals are alive and thriving still in the Bay Area through the 'Occupy the Farm' movement there which is fast becoming the model of the next Occupy incarnation everywhere. Throughout Latin America and beyond La Via Campesina is often found leading the charge in the battle of equal rights for the landless peasants be it on the ground in tiny villages or at huge international conferences. Right now La Via Campesina is leading the way in support of the campesinos in Honduras where the rich land barons are relentless in their violence toward the poor. So too in Paraguay, where the recent coup by the rich soy growers who own both the government and the land has shown that until the demand of land justice is realized, there will be no peace, regardless of who sleeps in the presidential palace.